Her Warrior
by RedLightsRedFights
Summary: Raised as a battle hardened warrior with her twin brother Vegeta, Neka's dark path of blood and carnage under the boot of Frieza is altered when she is nearly killed after a mysterious alien gives her a unique power to Bond with the next person she touches. Crash landing on earth, that person happens to be Goku when he saves her life. Goku/OC
1. Irrevocable

A young girl stepped outside of the dark room, her eyes gleaming slightly, a small smirk on her young lips, her tail curling behind her. The green remains of the Saiybamen were scattered across her white jumpsuit, in her spiky black hair, the fur of her tail. In the white observation room, her caretaker grinned over at her from the window, his massive arms crossed across his chest, a laugh bursting from his chest.

"Neka I think you beat Vegeta's time!" he said.

Neka placed her hands on her hips, casting a smirk at her twin brother who was leaning on the wall in the corner, "Well, Nappa, my skills are hard to compete with."

"Tch!" Vegeta shrugged off the wall, rolling his eyes before fixing her with a glare and a smirk, "Gloat while you can, sister, but all it will take is for me to step into that room one more time and your time will look pitiful."

Nappa chuckled, glancing into the room where the remains of Saiybamen were being removed, "Only eight years old, and the two of you can get better time than most of our warriors."

"What did you expect?" scoffed Vegeta, crossing his arms and grinning wickedly, his spiked black hair outlined sharply against the white wall behind him, his tail twisting behind him, "We're of royal blood. Really, you shouldn't even be surprised, Nappa."

Neka glanced toward the dark room, "I'm bored of playing with Saiybamen," she said.

"Hey, I haven't even had a chance to go and beat your time!" Vegeta snapped.

Neka waved him off, "You had your go before me, you can try to top my time tomorrow or something. One can only watch those creatures die so many times before it loses its amusement."

Vegeta grunted, "You just don't want me to beat your time so fast," he smirked.

"Ha! I'm not worried about you catching up to me," Neka crossed her arms.

Nappa chuckled, stepping forward, "Well, why don't we-" he paused and pressed a hand to the Scouter on his face, "What?" he asked it, and then his face twisted in slight horror, "But- sir! … This…" fury crossed his features and Neka's arms fell to her sides as she frowned up at Nappa. She and Vegeta stood side by side, the exact same height, looking up at him.

"Nappa, what gives?" Vegeta demanded.

Nappa scowled and shook his head, "Yes, sir. Right away sir," he muttered and lowered his hand, looking at the two children before him, "Change of plan. We're going to Lord Frieza's ship."

Neka and Vegeta exchanged a look. They had often talked angrily about Frieza when no one else could hear them. They hated the tyrant that oversaw their race, their planet, and their father.

"What for?" Neka finally asked boldly.

"He saw your progress in the training room," he gestured the dark room by them, "And believes it's time you two joined his elite forces."

Vegeta's eyes widened, "His elite forces? We've already done everything he's asked us to, and now we're not even allowed to stay on our own planet?" he spat.

Nappa's eyes were actually sad as he nodded, "It's orders from himself. We're to leave immediately. Go change."

Neka clenched her fists as she and her brother went to put on their royal attire and wash the Saiybamen remains from their bodies. She met up with Vegeta outside the showers. He was fastening his red cape on his back over his armor. Neka had armor on herself, and was pulling her own royal crest imprinted cape around her shoulders.

"It's not fair," she muttered.

Vegeta glanced back at her, his eyes narrowed, "That tyrant won't be around forever," he said softly, "He knows we're powerful, Neka, that's why he hangs our father's life over our heads to keep us under control."

"So now he's getting us fully under his boot," Neka growled, "As part of his elite forces, we'll never be out of his sight. And we'll be going about doing his bidding," she slammed a fist into an open palm, "I can't stand it!"

Vegeta went to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look up into his eyes, "We're the prince and princess of all Saiyans," he said to her harshly, "We're warriors, and with the royal blood of the fiercest race in the universe! We will not be under his boot for long. But for father's sake…" he looked away, "We have to play along."

"Frieza is a coward," Neka said bitterly, "How dare he threaten our father's life, just to keep us in line. If he's so worried he should face us himself!"

"Neka, don't be foolish," Vegeta snapped, making her gasp and look at him, "We're strong, of course, but we're just children," he crossed his arms, "We're no match for Frieza- not yet."

"But one day…" Neka whispered.

Vegeta nodded, "One day we will grind him into red mist," he vowed.

Nappa was awaiting them in the hall and he looked down at them with grave eyes, "Ready?" he asked.

"Do we not get to say farewell to our father?" Neka asked.

Nappa's face looked saddened. He shook his head, "No, my princess. We must make haste for Lord Frieza's vessel right away."

Neka glanced at Vegeta who was just scowling, "Fine," her brother said sharply, "Then let's go. Best not to keep Lord Frieza waiting."

The twins were placed in a room once on Frieza's ship in the bowels of the vessel. Nappa was separated from them, and never once did the children see Frieza himself. The door to their room was locked and there were only two cots in the tiny dark room, across from each other. They sat down, Vegeta scowling at the ground, propping his chin on a hand. Neka leaned back on her arms, looking out the small window as Planet Vegeta grew smaller and smaller.

"He didn't even have the gull to face us," she said.

"He doesn't think we're worth his time," snarled Vegeta, "Not allowed to say goodbye to father… I wonder when we'll even see him again."

Neka shook her head, "None of this is fair."

"At least Nappa will be with us," said Vegeta, glancing out the window, but he had a sharp intake of breath.

Neka looked out the window and felt her heart practically stop.

Where Planet Vegeta had been was a huge explosion that looked like a sun. Neka and Vegeta could do nothing but sit on their cots, frozen in shock and horror at the sight, their young faces illuminated by the light of the destruction. Neka couldn't breathe. Her father. Her entire race. Her home! It was all being destroyed before her eyes. How could this be happening?!

"NO!" Vegeta cried, finally jumping up and rushing to the window, slamming his fist against the glass, fury stark across his feature, "NO NO NO NO!" he slammed his fist against the glass with each cry.

Neka rushed to his side, "Vegeta stop! Stop it!" she wailed as the grass began to crack.

She grabbed his arm and held him back and for a moment he strained with all his might before letting out a strangles cry of defeat. He and Neka both fell to their knees, clinging to one another, crying, their shoulders shaking violently as they held tightly onto the last scrap of family they had left in the universe.

Each other.

*.*.*TWELVE YEARS LATER*.*.*

"Neka, you're needed on deck."

Neka blinked and turned, narrowing her eyes. The twenty year old Saiyan had grown much from the young girl that used to just destroy Saiybamen. Her tail wrapped about her slender waist, she crossed her toned arms and narrowed her dark eyes. Her dark hair spiked and on end, bangs hanging down across her forehead, swept to the side. She was in her armor, the shoulder pads out to the sides, and with a blue body suit beneath. No longer did she bear the red cape she did when she was young. After all, Lord Frieza didn't see a need for a royalty line when there were only four Saiyans left alive since the meteor destroyed their planet and everyone on it, including the King, her father.

Addressing her now was one of the surviving Saiyans, Raditz, son of Bardock, a Saiyan warrior that had been one of the elites of her father's forces. Bardock had been low class, but he still had been a valuable asset. But Neka personally despised Raditz. He was the weakest of the four of them, and he constantly flaunted about with a ridiculous cocky attitude anyway.

"What for?" Neka demanded.

"I wasn't given the details," said Raditz, crossing his arms. He had a wild mane of black hair hanging down his back, "Just that you were needed. You shouldn't keep Lord Frieza waiting."

"And you should watch how you speak to me," snapped Neka as she stalked passed him.

"Sorry, Princess," Raditz bowed his head and smirked at her.

"Tch," Neka left the lounge quarters she had been and into the hall, heading along the curved path to the main deck. She hated being on special missions with Frieza himself, wishing she could just be station on a base somewhere. Being anywhere near the slime made her skin crawl and anger swim in her. But Vegeta had encouraged her to keep up the act a while longer until they were strong enough or an opportunity presented itself to overthrow the tyrants.

Upon entering the deck, she spotted Zarbon and Dodoria on either side of Frieza himself, loyal dogs as ever. Zarbon with his pale green skin, pretty face and long braided blue hair with jewelry fit for a mistress, and Dodoria, a girthed pink thing with spikes along his hairless head and arms. And then Frieza, a small creature sitting in a floating thrown, two horns jutting from his head, a long tail lolling out the side, his sneering face did nothing but infuriate Neka.

But she dropped to one knee anyway, bowing her head, glaring at the ground.

"You had need of me?" she asked, looking up.

"Indeed, Neka," said Frieza, smirking at her as she stood, "Your brother and Nappa are busy emptying the planet below us, and I got news of something a bit interesting."

Neka perked a brow, "That being?"

"It's just a small thing," Frieza drawled, "My men have reported an apparently empty planet on the northern end of the galaxy, and while I could just send a small troop to claim it, I wanted to make sure it was really empty, and I just simply don't have the men to spare at the moment," Frieza smirked at her, "I wondered if you could take care of this for me."

Neka nearly growled. What was demeaning task. Frieza knew Neka was capable of going on bigger missions, of taking out fully populated planets with ease. He was doing this to irritate her. And it was working. But Neka didn't have a choice. She forced a smile and bowed her head, "Of course, Lord Frieza. I'll leave at once."

"Excellent," said Frieza, "There's a pod waiting for you with the coordinates already placed."

Neka nodded and took her leave, anger boiling up her spine. Arrogant tyrant bastard! She could not wait for the day when she would place his head beneath her boot. She pressed a hand to her Scouter.

"Vegeta."

It only took a moment for her brother to respond. His voice was deeper now than when they were children, and held a sort of darkness to it. They had been through so much, dwindled down to just four of their people left. Watched their planet vanish, and now were forced to work beneath a vile creature that used them both as nothing but tools for his own means.

"Neka."

"I'm being sent on a mission," said Neka briskly, careful of her words. She knew this com channel was heard by Frieza, "It should not take me long."

She heard the sounds of destruction on Vegeta's end, and Nappa's laugh in the background. Vegeta grunted and responded, "Very well. Good hunting."

"The planet I'm scouting is supposedly abandoned," said Neka bitterly, "I doubt hunting will be necessary."

"Contact me when you return," Vegeta said briskly, and the com cut.

Neka nodded thoughtfully. Vegeta had been all business ever since that day nine years ago. But she could read subtle hints in his words easily. The two of them had always been able to tell what the other was thinking. The bond they shared was strong, and it was the one thing that Frieza could not take from them.

The journey was boring. Neka sat in her pod, arms crossed, leaned back, scowling. She was still frustrated about being sent on such a mission. What did Frieza take her for? She was more than capable to level a planet on her own, she shouldn't be sent on such petty missions. She dozed off at one point, and her dreams were troubled ones. It started off as a memory.

She was standing next to her brother, smiling up at her father as he gestured out the large window of their palace toward the cities of Vegeta. He looked down at them and grinned, "One day, all of this will be yours, my children," he said, "You are of the strongest blood line of Saiyan warriors. You are both destined to be great. Never forget that."

"We won't father," said Neka, smirking out toward the city, "Strength is our birthright."

"One day we'll lead the Saiyan race to even greater glory than it has now," said Vegeta, puffing out his chest, "With no weak, only strong," he clenched a small fist.

Remember that everyone serves a purpose, my son," said their father, looking down at him, "Even the weakest Saiyan is a force to be reckoned with."

But then the dream changed, and red began to rain down from the sky, spattering the glass. Blood. It was blood, and Neka stumbled backward, eyes wide as her father began to laugh, and blood poured from his eyes before he crumpled to the floor in a pool of scarlet.

Neka woke with a start to hear the automotive voice of her pod tell her she was coming in to land at her destination. Looking out her window she saw this planet was a desolate place, gray, with towering faceless buildings scattered along it. Her pod crashed into the ground and the hatch popped. Neka stepped out to find she had landed on the outskirts of a massive city, but these buildings looked like they were crumbling from age. She pressed the Scouter on her face, looking around, but didn't get a single reading of life. Not even a scrap.

Neka sighed. So, she just showed up here to confirm that the place was abandoned, and now she could go back. It was a twenty hour trip to confirm what Frieza already knew. What a waste! Neka hissed in annoyance, but supposed it might be wise to scout the place for any life in case it was out of her Scouter's range. Taking to the sky, Neka flew along through the buildings, pressing the button on her Scouter, looking for any signs of life. Part of her was hoping she would come across someone, just so she had something to do, and feel like there was some small slight purpose in coming here.

But there was nothing picking up on the Scouter.

Neka landed in the midst of one of the large cities, looking around with a frown. These buildings had no windows. It also appeared that there were no means for transportation, any sort of vehicles or anything. This place lacked any and all sorts of personality. It was a strange, gray planet. Why Frieza thought he could sell this rock was beyond Neka. But who was she to judge the great Lord Frieza?

Such a waste of time.

Neka turned to head back to her pod when she heard something. Instantly picking up all her defenses, she pressed the button on her Scouter just in time to read a tiny power level to her right. She turned just in time to get attacked. Neka let out a hiss of annoyance as the figure tackled her to the ground and slammed a hand against her face. She yelped as something burned her flesh, and she kicked out wildly, catching whoever it was in the gut with her foot and pushing him off. She sat up, clutching her face, eyes shut tight for a moment in pain as the burning slowly faded away.

"The legacy must continue," muttered a strange voice, making Neka look up at the figure.

He had a mane of white hair, and was dressed in gray rags. He swayed on his feet. Neka checked her Scouter for his power level again. It was ten. That was pathetic! How did he even manage to tackle her?! Anger rushed through her veins and she held out a hand toward him.

"Insect!" she spat, "Who do you think you are, challenging a Saiyan Princess? Are you all that's left of this rock?"

The man looked up at her, his violet eyes locking with hers and he grinned, "The last. Men came in pods like yours, and cleaned our home clean of life. It was a miracle I survived. I hid… a coward, yes," he looked at the ground, "I'm a coward. But I will not let our legacy die," he looked up, passion alight in his eyes, "You carry the Bond now, my people's greatest treasure. Our Elder spoke of a woman with a tail that would come. Said that she and the Warrior would be the ones to avenge our people."

Neka stared, "Deranged creature," she muttered, "What 'Warrior', what 'Bond'? You've gone mad."

"Have I?" laughed the man, looking at her, "The next being with a beating heart you touch will be sealed with you forever. With a soul as cold as yours, I wonder how you will survive living as half of one being."

Neka gathered energy in her hand, and without batting an eye shot it at the man. It cut clean through his chest, his heart, and he coughed out a mouthful of blood before falling to the ground, unconscious.

"Stop your mindless rambling," she growled, "Pathetic creature…" she turned and kicked off the ground, heading back to her pod.

She had completed her mission, and that's all she cared about. Yet as she got back into her pod, she couldn't help but think of something the man said. Men came in pods like hers? As she left orbit of the gray planet, she pressed a button on her Scouter, "Lord Frieza, my mission is complete."

"Oh, good," the cold voice replied, a hint of a smirk behind that tone, "Was it abandoned as I was informed?"

Neka clenched her fist, narrowing her eyes, "Apparently some of our troops have been there before, and wiped the planet clean save for one deranged lunatic."

Frieza's chilling laughter rang in her ear, "Oh, my. Well, someone will have to be punished for allowing one to live. You know, Neka, I didn't want this day to come, and I tried to stretch it as long as I could. Your services have been most invaluable. But I cannot allow the risk, even though there is only two males you could possibly mate with, for more Saiyan children to be born."

Neka's eyes widened, "Frieza-!" she gasped.

Frieza laughed again, "I was hoping to prolong this longer, but I've noticed you becoming… rather restless. I'll tell your dear brother that you were lost in an asteroid belt, terribly tragic, these meteorites. They seem to be Saiyan's number one enemy. But who knows? Maybe you're twin will become just as troublesome as you…"

"You won't lay a hand on Vegeta!" Neka cried, "You sick bastard. I will kill you. I promise you this!"

Laughter again, this time softer.

"Forgive me if I don't hold my breath, Princess."

Something slammed into the side of her pod, and Neka braced herself hands pressing up on the round walls around her. There was one of Frieza's combat vessels to her right, shooting at her. Neka was powerless, this pod didn't have defense systems, and she couldn't open it for the lack of oxygen. She was going to die. All at the hands of the tyrant she so loathed. The tyrant that held her father's life over her head when she was younger, and now, just before killing her, threatened Vegeta's.

Too far. It was going too far! Neka couldn't die like this!

Alarms were going off all around her, and Neka felt her pod hurtling across the starred space, the systems were failing. With another rocket, her pod was sent lurching toward the nearest planet, spinning as it entered the orbit. She felt heat reaching her, fire was starting. The hull was breached somewhere, her air supply rushing from it, and she choked. Gravity took hold and she was hurtled around her pod, spiraling down onto the blue and green planet. One blast shot at her, shattering the pod completely, and crushing into her body.

Neka wailed in agony as her bones were shattered from that impact, and burns coated her skin. Her armor shattered, and she fell through the clouds down to the surface of this alien planet. As she was thrown into open air, she saw that the last blast had been sent not from the weaponry of the ship, but by a familiar smirking figure standing by the open hatch. Zarbon. That bastard! Of course, no rocket could have damaged her so badly, but a ki blast… She didn't have the energy to fly, too injured as she fell, down, down, down, into a forest of green foliage, seeing Zarbon step back into the vessel and it fly out of sight.

She was unconscious before her body even began to snap the branches of the trees. Neka crashed into the ground with a massive clap, her tangled broken body resting in a crater that she made upon impact.

A few hundred yards away, a teen heard the crash. Running through the forest, his wild back hair on end, wearing a slightly ragged orange jumper, his brown eyes widening in shock when he came into the clearing, finding a young girl laying in the massive crater.

"Whoa!" he cried, astounded, and looking up for any sign of what had done this. As he looked, scraps of burning metal rained down around him.

Further thought was cut off when he heard the girl groan in pain, and he rushed down into the crater, kneeling beside her. She was wearing some strange armor, some kind of clothing he had never seen before, but it was broken up pretty badly, her jumpsuit ripped and wounds gaping and bleeding, but she was alive, gasping for air, one eye opened a slit, and locked with his.

"Wh-who…?" she rasped.

The boy smiled at her, "My name is Goku," he said, "Don't worry, I'll help you."

"I- I don't need your help-!" the girl gasped, gritting her teeth in pain before coughing, blood spurting out and the boy named Goku yelped in shock.

"Hang on!" he said, and reached down, cupping a hand under her neck to support her head.

However, upon touching her skin, he felt a burn rush up his arm to his chest. He yelped in pain, jerking back his hand a moment to see a strange dark mark on the palm of his hand where he had touched her, a sort of intricate design, swirling yet jagged at once. He looked at the girl, and saw that she too had this symbol on her cheek, but it slowly faded away as her head slumped back, her eyes closing. He felt a strange feeling, like another presence awakening in the back of his mind, like something was seeping in, and as he looked down at the girl, he suddenly realized that her name was Neka without any real knowledge as to how he knew this.

Goku wasn't sure what that was, but he didn't have time to think about it. He could feel her fading fast, and hooked his arms under her form. The burning didn't happen again, and he looked up to the sky and called out, "NIMBUS!"

A golden cloud rushed down through the trees and stopped before Goku, and he climbed onto it, carefully supporting the injured girl, "To Korin's Tower, Nimbus, and hurry!" he commanded.

As the cloud hurtled the two up into the sky, Goku cradled the strange girl that fell from the sky in his arms, his eyes narrowed. Neka.

"Don't worry," he muttered again, even though he knew she couldn't hear him, "I'll help you."

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

So this is a reverse scenario of my story "The Bond". To those who have read it before, you'll notice some similarities, but it won't be exactly the same. The main difference is the planting process of it, as you could see here, and the origins of it, however other than that, it's the exact same concept.

To new readers, you don't have to have read "The Bond" to enjoy this story, so no worries! But if you DO want to read "The Bond", I would be super excited and thank you!

To everyone! Thank you for reading the first chapter. This is my first Goku story, so it will be interesting. Chichi will not be in this fic at all, because I really don't like awkward love triangles. In this 'universe' if that's what you want to call it, she was never born. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with her character otherwise. Hope this isn't an issue! Don't get me wrong, I like Chichi, but she just wouldn't do for this particular fic.

I hope you all enjoyed it, let me know what you think, and I look forward to going down this new journey with all of you!

-Red.


	2. Trapped

Goku… his name was Goku…

Neka swam in darkness, looking around wildly with a strange sort of fear in her heart. Where was she? She was vaguely aware of pain in the back of her mind, and worry, worry that wasn't her own. But if it wasn't her own… how could she feel it?

Was she dying? Or was she already dead?

No!

Neka could NOT die, not yet, not while that tyrant yet lived, she couldn't!

"Eat this…" a voice called to her. His voice.

Goku.

Neka clenched her eyes tightly, slowly aware of something being pressed to her tongue.

"Eat, Neka, please!"

How did he know her name?

"Please, it will make you better."

Make her better? Neka felt desperation flood her. She couldn't die yet. She had to continue on, had to go and kill-

Neka bit, and felt something crush in her teeth. It tasted slightly bitter, but she chewed, and swallowed.

The Saiyan gasped as her body was suddenly flooded with strength, and her pain vanished as her wounds stitched shut, her bones mending, and her eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright, gasping.

She was on the floor in a pool of her own blood. For a moment, she just sucked in air, catching her breath while staring at her boots in disbelief. Alive! She was alive! A hand snapped up to the side of her face where her Scouter had been, but landed over a naked ear.

"So, where did you find this one again, Goku?"

Neka looked over and narrowed her eyes, forgetting she had company.

The first was the boy. Goku. His wild black hair being pushed back with a hand as he grinned at her. Beside him was a rather thick set short man, with a mane of dark hair and a pudgy face that was set with mild annoyance and interest. Then there was a strange white furred creature with pointed ears and a long tail, his eyes squinted as he looked on, a large wooden staff in his hands.

Neka noticed that the other two beings looked like they could be Saiyans, with hair and the bare skin, facial features, arms and legs, but were lacking the tails.

"I told you, just down in the forest," said Goku, looking at the pudgy man from where he was squatting next to Neka, "Mr. Popo let me go out, since it's so close to the tournament and my training is complete."

"And she fell… out of the sky," said the man, crossing his massive arms, "Goku if you ask me, you kind of jumped the gun, I mean, what if she's dangerous?"

"Nah," Goku waved him off, "You worry too much, Yajirobi! Thanks again, for the sensu bean, Korin," he added to the white furred creature.

"No problem Goku," it said in a raspy voice, "But it seems to me like she's still in shock. She's shaking."

Goku looked at Neka again, a brow perked, "No, that's not shock. Why are you angry?" he asked, frowning.

Neka was shaking. She felt rage boiling up inside her and glared at the three before her, gritting her teeth. Why was she angry?! Wasn't it obvious?!

"Who do you think I am?!" she finally demanded, making them all flinch, "I'm not some helpless child- I didn't need your help!"

She knew she was lying through her teeth, but her pride would not allow her to let this go. She would not admit to even herself that she was in their debt, whoever they were.

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there," said Goku defensively, looking at her with his brow furrowed as he got to his feet and offered his hand.

Neka glared at him and got up on her own, anger thrashing against her again.

"Don't treat me like a helpless infant," she spat.

Goku frowned at her, "I'm not," he said innocently, "I'm sorry that I made you mad, but I wasn't going to let you die."

"I would have-!" Neka started, but cut off, gritting her teeth, glaring at the ground in rage.

No, she knew she wouldn't have been fine. She would have died from those wounds had this Goku not helped her. But this knowledge alone made her feel furious. How could she, a Saiyan Princess, be in debt to alien scum like this?

Neka turned, stalking to the edge of the strange building she was in, to the railing and looking out, gasping in slight shock. The building was in the sky, hanging high above a beautiful landscape of green forest. The sky was a clear blue with white clouds rolling across it. Neka had to admit, this was one of the most beautiful planets she had ever seen. She wondered if all the homes were in the sky like this. Was it floating, or did it have some sort of engineering to make it fly?

Goku was suddenly at her side, and grinned, "Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked softly.

Neka whirled to face him, "Shut up! You continue to insult me, insect, and my patience is about run out!"

"You'd think she'd be a bit more grateful that you saved her life, Goku," Yajirobi muttered.

Neka's murderous gaze set on him and he yelped, a hand going to the hilt of a blade that was sheathed at his hip.

"H-hang on!" Goku cried, waving his arms wildly and jumping between them, "I'm not trying to insult you! I just…" his face fell and he looked at her desperately, "I just can't seem to say anything right. Please, I just wanted to help you."

"Well I don't need your help!" Neka shouted at him.

Goku pouted, "I'm not saying that you do. I'm just saying I want to."

What a strange boy. Neka took a step back from him. If he even knew who she truly was, she doubt he would feel the same. She was a cold blooded killer, a weapon of destruction. She had destroyed entire planets, homes, families, children.

"You don't want to help me," she snarled, and turned, climbing onto the railing.

"Ah!" Goku gasped, "What are you doing?!" he reached out and grabbed her waist.

Neka's reaction was instant. Her elbow thrust back and clocked him across the face, making him yelp in pain and fall backwards. But Neka gasped in pain as well, grabbing her face and falling off the railing and back into the building, landing on her backside, eyes wide with shock.

She felt like…

Like someone just elbowed her in the face.

What the hell?

"Hey!" Goku cried, sitting up a few feet away and holding his cheek, "That hurt! I was just trying to keep you from falling! We're on top of Korin's tower, it's a really long way down!"

"Wow, Goku, you surprise me," said Korin, "Letting yourself get hit like that. I thought you said your training was complete."

"It is!" Goku gasped, "She's just really fast!"

Neka looked back at him, "What did you do?!" she snapped.

He blinked, still holding his face like a child, "What do you mean? You hit me!"

"I felt it!" snapped Neka, pointing at her face and getting to her feet, "I felt the pain of my attack on myself- what kind of technique is that?"

Goku blinked again, "Um… I don't know. I didn't do anything to make you feel it. But you know when I first touched you, a weird mark appeared on my hand!" he held out his palm, "And the same mark was on your face."

Neka stared. No. No, no, no! Could that raving lunatic… back on the gray planet…

"The next being with a beating heart you touch will be sealed with you forever."

Oh hell no.

Neka stumbled backward, touching her face. Could that had really happened? Could she be bonded to this Goku?

No, it was ludicrous. Insane. There was no way that it could be true, she had never heard of such a technique before. But what else could explain that she felt his pain…?

Neka bolted forward, grabbing Goku by the front of his jumper and pulling him up, making him yelp in shock and she held back a fist and punched him as hard as she could across his face. Goku was sent sailing across the building, landing in a heap on the far side, and Neka fell to one knee, clutching her face and gasping in pain. Yep. She definitely felt that.

So she could feel his pain. And what else? What else had this poison caused?

"Hey!" Yajirobi cried, eyes wide and looking at Goku as he groaned and sat up, "I've never seen just anyone punch Goku like that!"

Korin's whiskers twitched, "You know if you're going to start beating the tar our of each other, you could at least get out of my house."

Goku rubbed his face, looking at Neka as she glared at him. Without warning, he started laughing. Neka's eyes widened. What, was he mocking her?! Who the hell did he think he was dealing with?! Although, considering he still had his head after a punch like that, she knew he was no average being.

"Why are you laughing?" Neka demanded, getting to her feet and glaring at him.

"I haven't felt strength like that since King Piccolo!" Goku said, grinning widely, "I even think you're stronger than he was! Who was your Master?"

Neka blinked at him. He was… excited that she was strong? What even… this boy was extremely strange. He didn't even seem mad about the fact that she had just socked him. Most people got defensive, angry, or scared. But this boy… he was happy as can be.

"But I'm guessing because of how you were holding your face, you felt that punch too?" Goku got to his feet, still grinning, "So I guess we can't fight properly until we fix that! It wouldn't be fair if you could feel all the pain from all the attacks you landed."

"Y-you-!" Neka stuttered, anger rushing her again, "How dare you! You talk to me about making a fair fight?! It wouldn't matter how many handicaps you had over me, I would still destroy you! You're dealing with royalty of the greatest warrior race, you pathetic insect!"

Goku rubbed his palm against his forehead, "Wow, you need to calm down! With you so angry it's giving me a headache. I suppose that's part of it too, with the symbols," he nodded thoughtfully then grinned again, "But don't worry, I bet Kami will know what it is. Come on!"

Neka grunted in irritation as Goku rushed to her, grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her toward the railing. His strength was immense! Neka couldn't break his grip from her as he leapt right over the railing and into the open sky, calling out, "NIMBUS!"

Neka yelled in fury as they fell through the open air, unable to fly properly as he pulled her close to him and a golden cloud rushed toward them. It landed directly beneath them in the open air, and Goku landed on it, the poofy surface somehow holding him up, but when he let go of Neka, she fell right through the cloud, hurtling toward the Earth.

"Ah!" Goku yelped in shock, but before he could dive to catch her, Neka flipped in midair and stopped falling. She flew up to where he stood on his strange cloud, mouth agape.

"Wh- what- you can fly!" he cried, eyes growing wide, "Just like Tien and Chiaotzu!"

Neka cross her arms, "I don't know who you're talking about, nor do I care, what do you think you're doing grabbing me like that in the first place?!" she demanded, clenching her fists, "You are lucky that this curse is protecting you, whelp. I could end you with a swipe of my hand! If I didn't have pressing matters, I would wipe this entire rock clean! But I don't have time to deal with your trash," she spat, "I need to find my Scouter," she growled, turning and beginning to fly away.

Goku, riding his strand cloud, followed her, "But wait! How are you going to find your scooter when you don't know where I found you?"

She paused, glancing back at him, "It's a Scouter," she said, turning, "And I will admit you have a point. Where did you recover me?"

Goku grinned at her, "Weeeelll, I don't remember," he grinned playfully.

Neka felt anger rise in her again, and by the look on Goku's face he knew it. He raised his hands, waving wildly, "But! I bet Kami knows, and while we're there, maybe he can, you know, ask him about this 'curse' thing you keep talking about!"

Neka crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes dangerously. How had she fallen into this mess? She had to find her Scouter and speak with Vegeta. Had to tell him what Frieza did. She had to warn him! But somehow she had gotten connected with this idiot boy, and he was now using his knowledge over her to manipulate her.

But she had to admit, she did not know the bounds of this strange connection. What if no matter how far she was from this moron, or who injured him, she could feel it too? What if he died? Would she too be killed? Suddenly, this boy looked more like a liability than anything. But unlike all the other threats she had ever faced she couldn't blast this one out of existence.

Maybe this 'Kami' would indeed know something. It wasn't like Goku was leaving her much choice anyway. This planet must be huge. It would take forever to search on her own to find her missing Scouter.

"Fine," she snapped, flying up to him and looking at his cloud, "How do I ride this?"

"Uh," Goku laughed, "Well see, you fell through because… only those pure of heart can ride Nimbus."

Neka shot a look at him. Pure of heart? What kind of nonsense was that? Was he telling her he was a pure soul? There was no such thing.

"Tch," Neka shook her head, "Then lead the way."

"Can you keep up?" Goku asked, grinning again.

Neka glared darkly at him, "Just start moving," she snapped.

Goku laughed and turned on his cloud, shooting up into the sky. Neka let out an irritated hiss and followed, easily keeping pace with him.

As they flew upward, Neka wondered where they were going, but then saw a small dot above them. As they flew, it grew larger and larger, and Neka gasped. This was a floating island, or building rather. It was like a bowl with a lid atop it, the sides multicolored and pastel, with patterns and designs. When they went over the crest and Goku landed, his cloud rushing off into the distance until his next call, she saw that up here was a large courtyard with a white tiled floor. There were plants to the left and right and a few uniform trees, then set further back was a network of buildings with bobble like towers, the same wild colors along them.

She landed lightly, glaring around and crossing her arms next to Goku. His previous anger seem to melt away as he walked forward, calling out, "Mr. Popo, I'm back! Sorry it took so long, I uh… met a new friend!"

"I'm no friend of yours," Neka spat, following him toward the buildings.

A strange man stepped into view. He had coal black skin, plump cherry red lips, a white vest, poofy pants, and pointy shoes with a turban on his head. He was rather plump, and his round eyes gave Neka slight creeps.

"Is this 'Kami'?" she asked.

"No, this is Mr. Popo," said Goku, and looked back at the man, "Mr. Popo, this is Neka. She fell out of the sky, and well, it's a long story, but I think Kami will know the answer to our questions, where is he?"

"Here," said a raspy voice.

Neka looked to her left and gasped. It was a Namekian! Aged, with his green skin wrinkled drastically, and in robes with a large wooden staff in his hands, he walked slowly forward, his wise old eyes narrowing at her. Neka was completely surprised. This certainly was Namek, so why was a Namekian here?

"Goku, I'm disappointed in you," said the Namekian, Kami, "Why would you bring such a dark individual up here?"

Neka narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms, glancing at Goku, wondering what the boy was going to say.

"But Kami," Goku frowned, "Neka can't be that bad-"

"Will you stop talking like you know who I am?" Neka spat, glaring at Goku.

Goku laughed again, "Well, I can sort of feel you in the back of my head, so why not?"

Neka blinked at him, "What?"

Kami looked between the two of them, "I see," he said, "Girl, come here. Let me see your hand."

Neka looked at him, "What for?" she demanded.

Kami narrowed his eyes and Goku yelped, "Neka, you can't talk to him like that, he's the Guardian of Earth!" he pushed her toward Kami and Neka was taken by such surprise that she ran right into the old Namekian. He snatched her wrist before Neka could make another move, and she glared up at him.

"Unhand me!" she snapped.

Kami grunted and placed a hand on her cheek, making her flinch at the sudden burn on her skin. She wrenched herself out of the Namekian's grasp and scrambled backward only to run into Goku who caught her by the upper arms.

"WILL YOU ALL STOP TOUCHNG ME?!" Neka bellowed, letting out a harsh burst of power, making Goku fall backward, Mr. Popo stumble, and Kami narrow his eyes.

Neka stood there, catching her breath, anger licking in her ribcage. Kami sighed heavily at her as Goku got to his feet.

"Wow!" Goku gasped, "You can use energy like Mr. Popo has been teaching me!"

"Goku, I will never understand how you get yourself into these situations," Kami said, "But there is nothing I can do to take the link that has been made between the two of you," he looked at Neka, "Explain to me how you did this."

"I didn't do anything!" Neka shouted, crossing her arms, "It was that insect on the gray planet. He caught me off guard and put his hand on my face. He was blabbering like a lunatic, I thought he had just lost it. It made my face burn," she touched her cheek and glared at the ground, "He said something about a legacy. And that the next being with a beating heart I touched would be sealed with me forever. And now!" she pointed at Goku, anger reaching her again, "Every time I hit that bastard I can feel it!"

"Yeah…" Goku frowned, "And I can feel her when she get's mad. Which… its constantly."

"Shut up."

"It's true!"

"In any case," Kami interrupted them, "If what you're saying is true, then I would assume that you came in contact with a Xekian."

"A… what?" Goku blinked.

"Xekian, they created a way to fuse two souls together while keeping the bodies separate," said Kami, nodding slowly, "You will feel one another's pain, and feel one another's strong emotions. And if one of you dies, so shall the other."

Neka rushed forward, grabbing the Namekian by the front of his robes, "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME I'M STUCK WITH THIS KID FOREVER?!" she yelled.

"Kami!" Mr. Popo gasped, stepping forward, but Kami held up a hand to stop him.

"I'm afraid there's no way to remove it," said Kami briskly, "I do not know all the details. But it's how it is."

"So wait, is this Xekian somewhere around? Maybe we can ask him!" said Goku cheerily.

Neka released the Namekian and slumped to her knees, sitting on the heels of her boots and bowing her head in defeat. Could things get any worse? What did she do to deserve this kind of shit?!

"He was on another planet you idiot," she muttered, "And it wouldn't matter. I killed him."

"Y-you what?!" Goku gasped.

Neka's head snapped up and she glared at him, "I destroyed him!" she yelled, "Who did you think you were dealing with you moron?! I crash landed on this stupid planet. I'm a Saiyan Princess, an elite warrior! A weapon!"

Goku was just staring at her, "You mean you're an alien?" he asked.

Neka's head fell into the heel of her hand, "You are such an idiot…"

Kami sighed, looking at Goku, "So, what do you plan on doing?"

"So- just getting all the details- we feel each other's pain. And emotions. And if one of us dies the other will too," said Goku.

"Yes," Kami confirmed.

Goku grinned, "Well I guess I just have to take her with me then!" he laughed.

Neka's head snapped up, "What?" she gasped.

"Yeah!" said Goku, grinning at her, "I mean, we can't afford to not be around each other."

That was true. Neka couldn't have this liability just roaming about. But since when was SHE going with HIM?

"No," she snapped, getting to her feet, "This is how this is going to work," she stormed up to him, looking up into his face, "We're going to go find my Scouter, and we're going to figure out how to kill the bastard that tried to kill me."

"But he thinks you're dead," said Goku, frowning.

"So?"

"So he won't come looking for you!"

"That's not the point, you fool!" Neka grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Then what is?" Goku asked, laughing nervously.

"He has to pay!" shouted Neka, "He has to be punished for what's he's done!"

"But I can't leave Earth," said Goku, "The tournament is in a week!"

"You're stupid games can wait!" Neka cried.

"It's not a game," said Mr. Popo gravely, "Goku must face against an evil force at the tournament. If he can't stop it there, it will take over the entire world."

"An evil force?" Neka scoffed.

"Yeah," said Goku, "If I don't stop him, he'll destroy the Earth."

Neka clenched her fists. She knew the boy was strong, and making him do what she wanted wasn't going to be easy. Perhaps the easiest way to do this was for her to help him destroy whatever this evil force was, and then, she could go and tell Vegeta.

Another part of her wasn't even sure about that. What could she and Vegeta do? She knew her brother was safe so long as he kept playing the loyal dog. Frieza only tried to kill her to prevent more Saiyan children from being born. And Vegeta wouldn't try to attack Frieza unless he knew he could defeat him.

But where did that leave Neka? Stuck on this planet? With Goku?

Now that she had finally calmed down since waking up, she felt his presence in the back of his mind. It was… strange. It was a softness, a purity. Fluid and innocent, something Neka had never felt in her entire life. Happiness, and determination, and overall beauty. For some reason, when Neka felt it, it made her heart, so cold after all these years, soften just a bit.

Neka gritted her teeth suddenly. No, she couldn't handle this. It wasn't like her to sit back. But she knew if she showed back up into the picture, Frieza would use Vegeta against her, just like he used their father.

Why?!

Why did this have to happen to her?!

She hated it. Hated sitting back, doing nothing, but she knew…

It was for Vegeta. To keep her brother safe…

She would stay on Earth until she knew she was powerful enough to defeat Frieza.

And who knew? Maybe this Goku would prove of use. However this Bond thing was going to be a pain in the ass.

"Fine," she spat, "I'm not strong enough to defeat him yet anyway," she muttered dejectedly.

"Great!" Goku beamed, "And you're really strong from those punches I felt, maybe you can enter the tournament too!"

Neka blinked at him. Why was he so damned happy?

"Maybe," she grumbled, and looked down at herself, "A change of clothes would be nice. Does this rock have an armor shop anywhere?"

"Armor?" laughed Goku, "Not that I know of, and you would look pretty funny walking around in armor here!"

"Why?" demanded Neka, "I'm a warrior, and the insects of this planet should know it!"

"Listen to me," Kami suddenly snapped, "If you are going to be living on this world, you have to abide by rules. There is no killing unless in self defense of yourself or another. And these people don't know about aliens, so you will do your best to fit in, understood?"

Neka snarled, "Since when do I have to abide by your rules? I'm a Saiyan Princess, I go by my own rules!"

"Not here, you don't," said Kami harshly and looked at Goku, "I am counting on you to keep her under control, Goku."

"Sure, but I don't think she's a threat," said Goku, smiling.

"You son of a-!" Neka took a step toward him.

Goku laughed nervously, waving his hands wildly, "I just meant that you would know better!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?! You think I'm some- some- underling?!" Neka snapped.

"No."

"Well then what?!"

"That you wouldn't hurt anyone for no reason."

Neka stared at him then turned, "You know nothing of me," she mumbled.

There was a silence for a moment before Goku went to her side, "Weeeeelll, I don't have any girl clothes up here, but I know someone who might have some you can have!"

Neka glanced at him, narrowing her eyes, "Is that so?"

"Yeah, follow me!" said Goku cheerfully.

Neka followed after him as he called for his Nimbus and jumped onto it, taking off across the sky. She had basically confirmed that she did kill for no reason, yet this boy continuously treated her the same way. Like she was his friend. She frowned at his retreating back, fathomed. He was extremely strange, this Goku…

As they flew over the landscape below, Neka had a moment to contemplate. So, she was stuck on this planet to train until she was strong enough to defeat Frieza. Could her brother last that long? She had to hope he could. Vegeta was strong, both in body and will. But she knew when he heard of her death he would expect foul play. She just hoped his temper wouldn't get the better of him. Even though she knew if the situation was reversed, she would try to kill Frieza then and there for killing her brother.

Vegeta… She hoped he would stay safe, just until she was strong enough. Neka closed her eyes for a moment then looked forward again at Goku. He turned and grinned back at her.

Such innocence.

"You're not mad anymore!" Goku noted cheerfully.

"What?" Neka growled.

"Well my headache stopped," said Goku.

"Tch," Neka narrowed her eyes, "I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"What does it matter to you?"

"I'm just curious."

"Well too bad."

Goku frowned at her, "Now you're angry again."

"Well of course I am, you're annoying the hell out of me!" Neka snapped.

Goku laughed, "Well, maybe you should calm down!"

How can I calm down when I was nearly killed by the man that my brother still works for and I'm stuck on this planet Bonded to an idiot, thought Neka harshly, but kept her mouth shut, looking away.

Below, a city had bloomed into sight. There were people and cars going all around the buildings.

"What are these things called?" asked Neka.

"What?" Goku blinked back at her.

"These beings that inhabit this planet," said Neka, "What are they called?"

"Oh, humans," said Goku.

"And I'm to act 'human' then, am I?" asked Neka dryly.

"That's the plan!"

"Tch…" Neka grunted.

"Here!" Goku suddenly dived.

Neka took after him. They landed in the city next to a large round building with words in an alien language stamped across the side. Goku jumped off his cloud and it zoomed away as Neka landed lightly. Goku went to the door and knocked, waiting for a moment.

"Where are we?" Neka asked.

"West City, this is the Capsule Corporation. I have a really good friend that's the daughter of the owner of it. She can lend you some clothes, I'm sure," said Goku happily.

They waited a moment longer before the door opened and a girl stood there with blue hair, blinking at them.

"Who are you?" she asked.

Neka growled in frustration, "I thought you said she was you're friend!"

"She is!" laughed Goku, "It's just been a while since I've seen her. Bulma, it's me, Goku!"

The girl named Bulma squinted at him for a moment before gasping, "GOKU?!"

Neka flinched at the girl's cry of joy as Bulma wrapped her arms around him.

"Goku, you've gotten so tall! I can't believe it! And who's this?" her eyes flicked to Neka, "Goku don't tell me you got a girlfriend too!"

"What's that?" asked Goku, frowning, "She's a girl, and she's my friend, if that's what you mean."

"I'm not your friend," snapped Neka.

Bulma perked a brow, "Wow, Goku, where'd you find this one?"

"In the forest today, she fell out of the sky," said Goku, smiling.

"Wait, what?" Bulma blinked.

"Yeah, she's an alien! Isn't that neat?" Goku laughed, "I came to ask if you could let her borrow some clothes."

"I thought I was supposed to be blending in, and you just told her?" Neka asked, running a hand over her face.

"Bulma's different!" said Goku, "She can know, she won't tell."

Neka sighed heavily. How was she supposed to get through this without killing anyone? Idiots. Idiots everywhere.

"Are… are you kidding me?" Bulma said, "Goku how do you get yourself into these situations?" she looked over Neka, "Well she looks about my size, if not a bit shorter. Unless you count that hair!" she laughed.

Neka narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists, "Problem, girl?" she demanded shortly.

Bulma flinched at her tone, her laugh cutting off, "No, it's just standing up all over! I mean…"

Neka closed her eyes tightly, "I'm here for clothing. So provide this before I really lose my temper!"

Bulma rolled her eyes and turned, heading into the building, beckoning for them to follow, "And I though Launch was bad…" Neka heard her mutter.

Goku laughed and followed after her. Neka went after him, glaring at the ground. This was stupid, this entire thing. It had been a terrible day, and she wanted nothing more than to wake from this nightmare, but she knew she wasn't asleep. Frieza tried to kill her, she was trapped on a planet, her life was saved and she was sealed to a moron, and temptation to start destroying everything she saw was threatening to take hold.

But she was so tired.

So Neka followed Goku and Bulma through the large building quietly. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow she'll blow some things up. But today? She just wanted to clean the blood off of her, and go to sleep.


	3. Tail's Tale

Neka stood under the flowing water, letting it roll over her bare shoulders. It was amazingly comforting, and steam rose up around her. She washed the blood from her skin and hair, hearing muffled voices outside of the room. She knew Goku was informing Bulma of everything that had happened. Apparently, Goku had known this girl since he was a child. He had happy warm feelings toward her, and Neka could tell he enjoyed talking with her.

It was strange, feeling his emotions in the back of her mind, bouncing around her head. It was like she wasn't alone in her mind anymore.

None of this was fair. Neka's mind was the one place she could retreat to, and now there was someone inside it, waiting for her. She felt vulnerable, not only to Goku himself, but to anything that might hurt him and therefore hurt her. She had to figure out a way to get rid of this Bond. It was too much of a risk.

Shutting the water off, Neka stepped from the stall and grabbed a cloth from a nearby rack, rubbing her hair with it. Even wet, it still stuck straight up like her brother's. She dried her body the best she could and looked around. Someone had taken away her armor that she had been in, and in place of it were strange clothing Neka had never seen before. She picked up a small thing that looked like it was to cover her back side and front. Another piece next to it looked to be for her chest, to hold her breasts, she assumed. A sort of padding perhaps? It didn't seem very protective.

"Girl!" Neka called to the door, "How does this contraption work? Which of these are supposed to go on first?"

The door opened and Bulma slipped in, and gasped when she saw her standing there naked and averted her eyes.

"I thought you would at least be in a towel!" she said.

"You humans aren't that different from us, what's the problem?" Neka demanded, "It's not as if you're a male."

"Well still, it's a little awkward," said Bulma and looked at her again, "What are you having problems with?"

Neka held out the cupped thing.

Bulma began laughing, "You mean they don't have bras on your world?"

"'Bra'? Is that what this is called?" Neka looked it over, "Does it go on over the thinner cloth?"

"No, it goes on first," said Bulma, still giggling a bit.

"Very well, and these others won't do, there needs to be a hole for my tail," Neka said, picking up the tiny cloth and holding it out to Bulma.

"Tail?" Bulma echoed and her eyes went to the furry limb that was flicking behind Neka.

Bulma gasped wildly, eyes going wide.

"What?" Neka demanded, "It's nothing to get so surprised over."

"Dear God," Bulma rasped, looking at Neka's eyes, "You were born with that?"

"Of course, all Saiyans are," Neka spat, "Now are you going to stare at me or help?"

"I'll help, but we're going to have to talk about that tail with Goku," said Bulma.

"Why?" Neka asked as Bulma took the bra.

Bulma sighed, "It's better if we're all in one room to talk about it, and best you're dressed before then, put up your arms, will you?"

Neka obeyed and Bulma quickly looped on the strange contraption. As she hooked it together in the back, she sighed, "You're a bit smaller than me, we'll have to take you shopping, but this will have to do for now. And I guess you can make holes in the panties and jeans, I grew out of them anyway. Vertically mind you! I'm still the same weight I was when I was sixteen."

Neka didn't know what Bulma was talking about at that point, so she grabbed what Bulma referred to as 'panties' and swiftly poked a hole in the fabric. It was extremely awkward trying to guide her tail in and get them on properly, but she finally managed to do it. She then yanked on the 'jeans'. Bulma made to assist her when Neka had trouble guiding her tail, but the Saiyan snapped at her, "You've done enough! I'm not a child!"

Bulma scoffed, folding her arms, "Well you're the one who didn't know was a bra was. On this planet, you're practically a child."

"My armor was always simple to put on," growled Neka.

Finally she managed to get the jeans on properly, but couldn't figure out the strange contraption in the front that was meant to fasten it. She allowed Bulma to assist her with it after a few failed attempts, and paid close attention to how she buttoned it so she wouldn't have to degrade herself to asking for help again. The shirt she pulled on without any difficultly. It had a symbol on the front that looked like two curved near circles inside one another with a complete circle around the two of them. She had seen the same symbol on the outside of the building.

"You're boots are already clean, so you can use them," said Bulma, handing her Neka's white and yellow boots, and then a pair of cloth tubes.

"What are these?" Neka asked.

"Socks, they go on your feet before the shoes," said Bulma with a sigh, "It's almost adorable how ignorant you are.

Neka narrowed her eyes dangerously, and Bulma laughed, backing up, "It was a compliment!"

Neka figured out the socks on her own, luckily, and pulled her boots over them. She had to admit, the socks made them more comfortable. She made to tuck her tail around her waist, but Bulma held up a hand, "Wait, leave it out," she said, "Come on, now that you're decent, we can talk to Goku about that."

Goku was waiting outside on a balcony, sitting at the table, humming cheerfully to himself. He looked over when the two females came in and grinned.

"You look great, Neka!" he said, "I knew Bulma could- WHOA!" Goku suddenly bolted upright and rushed over to Neka so fast she nearly punched him out of reflex.

"Hey!" she yelped when he grabbed her arm and lifted it to better look at the tail flicking behind her.

"You have a TAIL!" Goku bellowed.

"And you have an annoying tendency to touch me, LET GO!" Neka shouted back.

"Yeah, I thought you might want to ask about that, Goku," said Bulma.

Goku released Neka and took a step back, but his eyes were still on her tail, mouth agape.

"What's the big deal?" cried Neka.

"Goku was born with a tail," said Bulma, "His grandpa Gohan actually found him in the woods and took him in to raise him."

"You… had a tail?" asked Neka, eyes going wide, "Where did it go?"

"Kami made me remove it so that he could restore the moon," said Goku.

Neka stared.

Holy. Shit.

Could it be possible? But how? How?! How could this strange overly happy boy be a Saiyan?!

"You mean to tell me…" Neka took a step back, closing her eyes for a moment, "How is this possible…"

"So Goku must be the same race as you," said Bulma, looking at Goku, "I knew you couldn't be human!"

"Wow!" Goku cried, eyes going wide, "I suppose that explains why no one else ever had a tail."

"No, I refuse to believe a moron like you can possibly be a Saiyan!" Neka shouted, narrowing her eyes, "It's not possible, there's only four of us left!"

"Only four?" asked Goku, blinking, "What happened?"

"My planet was destroyed," Neka muttered, "Only four of us were off planet when it happened."

"But maybe Goku was sent off," said Bulma, "Maybe someone stuffed him in a ship and sent him away before the explosion!"

"Infants of the lower class were often sent off world to conquer minor planets, but that's we'd have known," said Neka, "It can't be possible."

"Well, let me ask you something," Bulma grinned at her, which made Neka scowl, "Something happens when you look at the full moon, right? Something, you know, big?"

Neka crossed her arms, "Are you trying to talk in code or something, girl? When a Saiyan with a tail looks upon the full moon, they are granted our ultimate weapon, changing shape into the great ape, making our powers increase ten fold."

"I knew it!" Bulma cheered.

"Wait," Goku was looking between them, "You become a giant ape…?" a strange look crossed his face and Neka gasped when she felt a sudden stab of pain in the back of her mind.

It was the first negative emotion she had ever felt from him. She frowned wondering what had made him so upset. Perhaps he was frustrated that he no longer had his tail, and couldn't gain that power. But somehow, that didn't seem like him.

"Bulma," he looked up at her, "I used to change into this ape, didn't I?"

Bulma's cheery face fell, "Oh…" she looked at him and sighed, "Well… yes, Goku, you did. We never wanted to say anything because…"

"Because it was a giant monster that killed my grandpa," Goku said, looking down, frustration across his face, "You all knew it had to have been me. Ever since you first saw. Jackie Chun blowing up the moon, Kami only restoring it if I gave up my tail… it all makes sense now."

"I'm sorry, Goku," said Bulma softly.

Neka grunted and turned away, hating the strange emotions assaulting the back of her mind. "So you are a Saiyan…" she muttered, "And you didn't know how to control you're ape form. Indeed, you must have been sent to this planet to destroy it. I wonder what happened to make you so soft."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" asked Bulma, "Goku's the strongest person I know. He's anything but soft."

"True strength comes from more than just physical ability," said Neka, shooting a glare back at her, "One must have the strength to do what's necessary to win. And silly emotions do nothing but hold you back. Saiyans are battle born people, we are born with blood lust. But this boy somehow has 'friends' and 'family' here. Something happened to take his true potential away."

"That's not true," Goku suddenly snapped, making Neka blink and look at him, "My friends are part of the reason I fight. I fight harder when I know their lives are on the line."

"Tch," Neka crossed her arms, "Worrying about someone else's life makes you sloppy in your desperation. It's why this whole predicament," she gestured to him then herself, "Is ridiculous! And you're stupid soft emotions are getting in my head. It's infuriating!" she threw a punch into the wall, leaving a hole.

"HEY!" Bulma yelled, "That's my house you're breaking! What do you think you're doing?"

"Neka stop it," Goku snapped, "You can't just break things here."

"You're not my authority," Neka spat back at him.

Bulma sighed heavily, "Goku, really, how do you get yourself into these messes?"

Goku looked at her and shrugged, "I dunno, trouble just seems to find me," he said, grinning a bit.

At least his feelings of grief were fading. That feeling reminded her too much of her father's death. Neka scowled at the ground. How did SHE get herself into these messes? All of this wasn't fair in the least.

"Well, Goku, where are you staying until the tournament?" asked Bulma.

"I'm not sure now that I have an extra," laughed Goku, "Maybe we'll just go to Papaya Island early and stay there."

"Well, you better be careful where you stay, Goku," Bulma shot Neka a glare, "She might break down the building."

Neka lifted a hand, aiming it at Bulma, who flinched, "I've had just about enough of your lip, girl-! WAH!" Neka yelped when Goku suddenly scooped her into his arms and jumped onto the balcony railing, snatching up a bag that had been left by the table, "Well thanks for the clothes, Bulma, bye!" he called, and jumped right off the balcony crying, "NIMBUS!"

The cloud swooped in beneath them and Goku landed on it sitting crisscross with Neka in his lap, smiling cheerfully.

It had all happened so fast it took Neka a second to get pissed.

"What am I to you, some rag doll to be thrown about?!" she bellowed, "I'm a Saiyan Princess, you should treat me with respect!"

"That's right!" said Goku, clearly clueless to how irritated she was, "You're a princess! Of our whole race? That's really neat!" he grinned at her, "Should I call you 'Your Highness'?" he wasn't being sarcastic, Neka could feel it through the Bond that he seriously was wondering if that's what he should refer her as.

"Y-you-!" Neka clenched her fists, "Stop insulting me!"

"But I'm not trying to-" Goku began in a put out tone.

"Well you are!" Neka snapped, "My name is Neka! Just Neka!" she rolled off of him and through the cloud into the open air, catching herself and flying up beside him, "And stop touching me!" she added with a hiss.

Goku laughed, "You really need to lighten up! I bet you'll burn off steam when you fight in the tournament."

"Since when are you deciding if I'm entering your stupid tournament or not?" Neka demanded. "What fighter could they possibly present to me on this rock that could be a match for a warrior like me?"

"Well, there's always the chance you could be facing off against Piccolo," said Goku, his voice turning grave instead of the normal cheeriness.

"You mentioned him before," said Neka, "When I punched you."

"I defeated King Piccolo three years ago," said Goku, "But before he died he spat out an egg containing his son. That's the evil that's going to the tournament this year. I have to stop him, or he'll destroy the world like his father tried to do."

"This great evil is only three years old?" asked Neka blandly.

"Well, his kind ages differently than humans, and Saiyans too I guess," said Goku with a frown, "You know, we're a lot like humans with how we age and our looks."

"Don't compare our race to the trash on this world," growled Neka, looking around with narrowed eyes, "Now where did you find me? I want to get my Scouter before we go to this island."

"I thought you said you were going to stay on this planet after all," said Goku.

"I am, at least until I'm strong enough to defeat the bastard that nearly killed me, but I need my Scouter."

"What for?"

Neka felt irritation hit her and Goku must have felt it too because he laughed nervously, "I'm just curious!" he insisted.

"I want to listen to the com chat it sends out," said Neka, "To see what he's up to."

And to make sure Vegeta was okay. But she wasn't going to admit that to Goku, knowing he would tell her that she must have emotion for her brother and that her previous statement about emotion was hypocritical. It wasn't. She knew Vegeta could handle his own in a normal battle. But with Frieza…

"Alright," Goku said, "This way!"

"I thought you said you didn't remember earlier," snapped Neka as she followed him when he changed course.

"I didn't, but now I do," said Goku cheerfully.

Neka glared at him. This Goku acted like a child. How the hell was he a Saiyan? What had happened to him to make him like this? All Saiyans were killers at birth.

Goku led her to a forest not too far from the tower she had awoken in. He jumped off Nimbus when he was close to the forest floor and Neka landed lightly beside him, looking around. There were pieces of her ship scattered all around here. And there was a bloody crater where she must have landed. She stepped forward, her tail twitching behind her. It was a little odd not keeping it around her waist protectively, but at the same time, it was nice to stretch it out. She knew there were no threats on this world that would threaten it, and she had even trained it to withstand people grabbing it.

In the crater, she rummaged around the pieces of ship and armor. Goku waited for her, whistling a happy tune. Finally, Neka upturned a piece of metal and there it was.

Her terribly damaged Scouter.

Neka picked it up. The screen was broken, and the plastic cracked, some wiring poking out. She held it to her ear. Not even static was coming through. She nearly tried to power it on, but stopped. If she did that and it somehow worked, Frieza's transmitters would pick it up and he would know there was a chance she was still alive. He would at the least send a scout to insure she was dead.

"Shit," she spat and sat back on the ground, stretching out her legs in front of her with a scowl, glaring at her Scouter.

"What's wrong?" Goku asked, walking to her side, "Is that you're Scouter? It looks kinda banged up."

"It's broken," Neka confirmed, "Or at least, I think it is. I dare not risk powering it on. I forgot that he can track the signal. I don't want him knowing I'm still alive, not yet."

"I bet Bulma could fix it," said Goku.

"You mean the human girl that gave me these clothes?" asked Neka dryly.

"Sure, she's a genius," said Goku happily, "We'll have her look at it when she gets to Papaya Island for the tournament."

"Don't tell me she's entering."

"Bulma?" Goku laughed, "No way, she's not a fighter. She's just going to watch."

"There's an audience?" asked Neka.

"Of course!" said Goku.

Neka grunted and got to her feet, looking at Goku, then the bag that he had grabbed from the table back at Bulma's house, "What's in there?"

"More clothes," said Goku, "Bulma gave me a few sets for you to wear until after the tournament."

Neka held out her Scouter, "Well put this in there with them."

Goku took it and tucked it into the bag before grinning at her, "All set, then?" he asked.

Neka scowled at him. He was just too damned happy. It was all over in the back of her mind like an infection. She detested it.

"Let's just go," she sighed.

Goku beamed and called, "Nimbus!" again.

With him on his cloud and Neka flying beside him, they headed across the large blue ocean. Neka glanced at Goku as they flew. He was still smiling contently. Neka wondered if his cheeks hurt from grinning all the time. Surely there was something wrong with him. It just wasn't normal to be so cheerful. Especially for a Saiyan.

She wondered who his parents were, and if she had known them.

"Tell me something, Goku," she said.

Goku looked at her, "Yeah?"

"At this tournament, other than Piccolo, will there be any decent fighters?" she asked.

"Well, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha will be there," said Goku, grinning, "They're pretty strong."

"Is that so?" Neka smirked slightly, looking forward again, "Well I'll be the judge of that."

She really wished she could test Goku's strength fully, but since they could feel one another's pain that wasn't going to happen. She figured that she was going to have to figure out a way past that. Maybe they could train their bodies to ignore the pain from each other. But that was going to take time, surely.

This entire situation was going to take nothing but time.

Neka frowned again. How was she going to survive this if she got yelled at just for punching a wall? She was a warrior, and needed to train, but there were so many limitations on this rock!

Goku was humming happily and Neka felt his cheerful feelings snaking in the back of her head. How did he do it? He had just found out not but twenty minutes ago that he had killed his own grandfather- well, it couldn't be his blood relative, but all the same- and now he was just humming along! How did he keep himself so carefree?

"Goku."

"What?" Goku looked at her again.

"Did you hit your head as a child?" Neka asked bluntly.

"Uh, Grandpa Gohan told me I did when he first found me," said Goku, "Why?"

Neka sighed heavily, "That explains it."

"What?"

"Why you're so damned happy," growled Neka.

"What's wrong with being happy?" asked Goku.

"It's unrealistic," Neka said softly.

"How so?"

"Life isn't just positive, idiot," snapped Neka, "And if you ignore the negative, it will catch you unawares. It will drag you down into the jaws of death."

"But I don't ignore the negative side of life," said Goku with a frown.

"Then how are you so cheerful?!" Neka demanded.

"I dunno. I just am," said Goku with a smile.

"This is unbelievable," Neka sighed, looking down at the ocean.

"Not really," said Goku, "But you need to cheer up some, Neka. I think ignoring the positive side of life is just as dangerous as ignoring the negative."

Neka narrowed her eyes, refusing to look at him. She didn't need coaching from the likes of him. A defective Saiyan was all he was. Neka always thought if she found another of her race she would be happy, but this just disgusted her. How could a member of their proud race be this blubbering fool?

"Oh, and Neka?"

"What?" Neka snapped.

Goku grinned at her, "When you fight in the tournament, just be kind of careful. I mean, I know you must be really strong, and I just don't want you to accidently hurt anyone."

"Isn't that the point of a fighting tournament?" Neka demanded.

"Well, yes, but there's rules, and you just can't get carried away, not a lot of people on this planet are strong like you and me," said Goku.

Neka scoffed, turning away, "Whatever," she muttered, "I'll play by your stupid rules for now. But I am allowed to kill this Piccolo in the end, am I not?"

"Well, only if we have to," said Goku, his smiled fading.

"What do you mean? Didn't you say he would destroy your world if you don't stop him?" Neka said.

"Yeah, but there's always a chance he could change," said Goku, smiling again, "Tien changed at the last tournament. He used to be bad like Piccolo, but he's good now."

"Tch," Neka scowled, "Not everyone is capable of changing, you know."

"Why do you say that?" asked Goku.

"Personal experience," Neka said.

"Well I think you're wrong," Goku laughed.

Neka looked at him, but he didn't say anymore, he just started humming again.

As she looked ahead again, she felt his softness in the back of her mind and tried to push it away. Was he suggesting that he thought she could change? Neka felt a spike of anger and she gritted her teeth. It wasn't that simple. She was raised to be a monster, a warrior, a weapon. Someone like her couldn't just change. Maybe in Goku's mind things were simple like that, and maybe things always turned out for the better, where there were always happy endings and good triumphing over evil and people changing for the better.

But life wasn't like that. Life was full of darkness, and someone like Neka couldn't just change how she was after living so long in the shadows of blood and carnage. No matter how simple Goku was, or how simple he thought life was, Neka wasn't that simple.

Nothing about her or her life had ever been simple.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:::

Wow guys, 11 favorites and I'm only getting into chapter three! Thank you all so much for the support, I decided since you guys seem to be liking this so much I'd go ahead and get the third chapter out. I also wanted to ask you guys something. There are a few things set in stone for this chapter, however, I think I'm going to ask you guys what you would prefer for the kids, that is, should I bring in Gohan and Goten, or OCs? Keep in mind, with Gohan not having Chichi for his mother he will probably be VERY different than in canon since he will have two fight loving Saiyans for parents (but I would probably keep his peace loving attitude somewhat). I will put it up to a vote now, though the kids won't be along for a while yet. Gohan & Goten, or OCs? Whichever has the most votes by the end of the Piccolo saga will be what I go with.

Again, thanks for all the reviews and favorites and follows! I love you're guys' feedback, so keep it coming! Also, there's a rough sketch of the coming cover art for this story on my art page, the link is in my profile so you guys can see what Neka looks like.


	4. Tactics

The island was small, with sparse buildings upon it. Neka and Goku landed on the edge of it, and went the rest of the way on foot through the small villages. Neka felt irritated about just walking along, her arms crossed and her tail flicking with irritation behind her. When she arrived on foreign worlds, she was used to destroying everything she came across, laughing wildly at the cries of pain and fear. She was used to people looking at her and trembling. But right now all she was getting were curious glances at her tail.

"I feel ridiculous," Neka muttered.

"What for?" laughed Goku.

"They're all staring at me," Neka hissed, "These clothes don't fit right, and I feel exposed. I want my armor back."

"Well it was all broken," said Goku with a frown.

"I'm well aware!" Neka snapped, and looked away from him, irritated, "I feel so damned petty right now. I shouldn't be viewed as just some other of their kind. I'm a Saiyan Princess, a warrior that should be feared, and here I am in these ridiculous clothes, and- and-!" she paused, gritting her teeth, clenching her fists. For a split second she wanted nothing more than to obliterate the entire island they were on. To release all her power and frustration in one mighty blow. Goku must have felt her urge because his eyes widened and he looked at her, crouching slightly, as if prepared to stop her.

But Neka's shoulders slumped, and she sighed, her fists relaxing and bowing her head slightly.

"I'm just so tired," she finally said softly.

Goku relaxed too, and smiled warily at her, "Well, come on. We're almost to the hotel."

Neka just nodded mutely and followed him.

Goku took her to a large building, stepping inside and grinning at a woman behind the counter.

"Hi, my name's Goku," he said to her, "I stay here every three years during the tournament, and I know it's early, but could we begin our stay now?"

"Goku?" the woman asked, "Oh right, you won second place in the last tournament," she said with a grin and checked something on a terminal, "It looks like the room isn't technically booked until this weekend, but no one's staying in there so I suppose I could let you," she placed two cards on the counter.

"Great!" Goku said happily, snatching them up and then looked back at Neka, "Come on!" he grabbed her wrist and pulled her further into the room, making her yelp in frustration.

"Will you stop touching me?!" Neka shouted as he finally released her when they were in a tiny room that doors slid shut behind them.

Goku hit a switch on the side of the door, "I think it's this one…" he was mumbling.

"Are you even listening to me?!" Neka demanded, but she nearly lost her balance when the entire room began to rise.

Goku caught her by the elbow, and she instantly swatted his arm away once she was steady.

"I SAID STOP TOUCHING ME!" she cried.

Goku sighed, pouting at her, "Why are you so angry? I'm not trying to make you mad."

"Well you are!" Neka shouted.

The doors slid open and she stormed out into a hallway, fuming. Why couldn't he just stop touching her? Was it so hard for his defective mind to grasp?! She sighed. She was too exhausted to stay angry. She glanced back at him, eye narrow, "Where's this room?" she asked.

"This way," said Goku cheerfully, seemingly pleased that she was calmed down again, and led her down the hall.

He fumbled with the card for a moment, looking at it, then the door with a frown.

"Uh, usually Master Roshi unlocks the door… hm… how did he do it again?" he looked at it from different angles, scratching his head.

"Oh give it here," Neka snapped and snatching one of the cards from his hand and shoved him aside. She examined the card then the mechanism on the door. She dealt with tech plenty before, and this seemed simple enough. She took the black bar on the card and swiped it down the slot. There was a click.

Goku opened the door and grinned, "Oh wow, you're smart, Neka!" he said cheerfully.

"Just shut up," said Neka, stumbling into the room, "You're voice is giving me a headache."

Inside there were several beds. She went to one, kicking off her boots and climbing inside. It was incredibly comfortable compared to what she was used to, and sighed in contentment, pulling the cloth over her. Sleep came within heartbeats, and Neka received a well deserved dreamless slumber.

*.*.*.*

Goku stared at her, standing by the door with the bag of Bulma's clothes still in his hand. Neka was the weirdest girl he had ever met. Even when Launch had blond hair she wasn't that angry. Her everlasting rage finally quieted in the back of his mind and he felt like he could breathe again. He set the bag down and went to the bed beside hers and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at her face, so peaceful while asleep.

And he wondered for the first time, what was he going to do? He had felt it a few times, Neka's violence. He knew that she was more than capable of attacking someone. Kami had told him he had to keep her under control, but could he? He knew she was strong, and he also was fairly certain the only reason she hadn't attacked anyone yet was because she was tired. So what was going to happen when she woke up? And how could Goku stop her if she tried to hurt someone?

Goku rubbed his brow. He had never experienced such negative emotion before. She was so angry and… and hurt. There was pain that she was feeling too, and Goku wondered if she was so mad because she was in so much pain. But what was hurting her? It was similar to how he felt when Krillin died three years ago, Goku recalled. He wondered if Neka had lost a friend. Goku had been angry too, and had sought out Tambourine, the monster that killed Krillin, and ended him.

But hadn't she told him someone tried to kill her? And she wasn't strong enough to face him yet? He frowned. There were so many things to consider, it confused him. And Neka wasn't his only problem.

Piccolo.

Piccolo was going to be at this tournament, and how was he supposed to focus on defeating him when he was worried about Neka?

Goku sighed and stood, rubbing the back of his neck, "This is getting really confusing," he muttered aloud, "What am I going to do with you?" he looked at Neka, "I just want to help you, but every time I try you get mad at me. What can I do to make you happy?"

Now that he was getting a break from her relentless rage, he realized how much strain it had been putting on him. This Bond thing… it was the strangest thing he had ever encountered. With a jolt, he remembered that they could feel one another's pain, and he wondered how that was going to affect the battle with Piccolo. He couldn't let Piccolo know that there was this Bond between them, or else he might try to hurt Neka to get to Goku, and he couldn't let that happen.

He remembered asking her about the alien that made this Bond thing happen, how she told him she killed the alien… He didn't want to believe that Neka was a murderer, but something about the darkness he could feel in her told him that she was not a truly good person. She couldn't ride Nimbus after all. But Tien Shinhan had been a killer before, and he changed. So why couldn't Neka? Surely there was goodness somewhere inside her. There had to be.

Goku walked to the end of the room and out onto the balcony, looking out across Papaya Island. The tournament was in five days, and there he wound face Piccolo. He had been training for three years for this fight. But he had not been counting on Neka being added to the equation.

Yet, Goku still smiled. Despite being confused about the entire thing and being at a loss of what to do, he was excited. Neka had just added quite a bit of adventure to his life. She was a challenge, the first challenge he had come across that he couldn't simply fight. And he knew it was going to take a while, but he had a new goal now, even beyond defeating Piccolo and protecting the Earth, beyond becoming stronger.

He wanted to make Neka happy.

*.*.*.*

Neka rolled over on the bed, blinking awake. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, wondering vaguely if the training room was open and if Vegeta and Nappa were done with their mission yet. She wanted to spar with her brother again. Last time he had barely managed to win by tricking her with an after image. She was itching to test a new technique on him, that would certainly surprise him and give her an easy victory.

But when Neka lowered her hands and opened her eyes fully to see the room she was in, her heart dropped and she remembered.

She was not back on the space station or Frieza's ship.

She was on a blue and green planet called Earth, and there in the back of her mind, was a sickly soft presence that made her skin crawl.

"You're up!"

Neka flinched and her eyes darted over to see Goku was on the ground by her bed, doing pushups with one arm tucked behind his back. He had paused in his exercise, smiling up at her. Neka narrowed her gaze, and his smile faltered a bit.

"You're still angry?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" snapped Neka, sitting back in her bed, crossing her arms, "I wish I could train."

"We could spar," Goku suggested, sitting up.

"We can feel each other's pain, you idiot," snapped Neka.

"Well there's ways we can spar without actually aiming to cause pain," said Goku, "We could grapple."

"You want to grapple," Neka stated more than asked.

"Sure, why not!" said Goku, beaming.

"You would only humiliate yourself," said Neka evenly.

"What? How?" Goku frowned at her.

"You're a low class defective Saiyan," snapped Neka, "You wouldn't stand a chance against me."

"I don't think that's fair, you've never seen me fight!" said Goku, pouting.

"I don't need to, it's just simple fact, there's no way a defective rat such as yourself could stand a chance against a Saiyan of royal blood like me," said Neka.

Goku actually scowled at her, and she felt a slight pin prick of anger from him in the back of her mind. She perked a brow, interested that she had actually managed to finally wipe that stupid smirk off his face.

"That's not true," he said, getting to his feet.

"Tch," Neka closed her eyes and laced her hands behind her head, smirking, "You're actually mad. Is it because you know I'm right?"

Without warning, strong arms wrapped around her middle and lifted her off the bed. Neka yelped in shock as she was rushed out of the room onto the balcony and thrown out into the open air. She hurtled toward the ground for a moment before twisting in the air and caught herself, flying a few feet above the grass below. She glared up at Goku, eyes narrowed.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she snapped as he hopped out from the four story tall balcony and landed on the ground.

"I'm going to prove to you that I'm not defective, whatever that means," said Goku, crouching at the ready and smirking.

"You don't even know what it…" Neka pressed her palm to her forehead, "It's painful how idiotic you are," she muttered.

"Ready or not!"

Neka lowered her arm and saw Goku launching up at her. Though he couldn't fly, he could certainly jump. Neka was caught off guard by his speed and he tackled her out of the air and onto the grass. They rolled for a moment, both grunting and yelping in frustration as they tried to get the upper hand on one another. Neka finally managed to get on top of him, pressing her one forearm to his neck and the other pinned both his wrists above his head. She smirked at him, her nose an inch from his.

"See? You don't stand a chance against me," she said.

Goku grinned at her, "You haven't won yet!"

Neka felt his knees hook under her and he shoved up at her gut with his feet, not hard enough to make her feel pain, but definitely hard enough to dislodge her from pinning him. She was sent hurtling away, and landed rolling before finally coming to a stop sitting on her backside and her elbows propping her up. She looked up just in time to see Goku leaping on her with a happy yelp.

Yowling in annoyance, she and Goku went tumbling again, and it was all Neka to do to resist actually punching him or kicking to get the upper hand. He was strong and fast, incredibly so. She hadn't had to work this hard to win a spar since she fought Vegeta last. Finally, Goku ended up pinning her down, his hands keeping her wrists on the ground, and he was sitting on her stomach with a grin.

"Told you," he said cheerfully, "I'm strong."

"You would never defeat me in a real battle," said Neka evenly, "You're strength is… impressive, I'll admit that. But I have tactics and strategy that a simple mind like yours could never follow."

"That's not fair for you to say," said Goku, frowning at her.

"You can't even fly," Neka spat.

"Well, maybe you could teach me how to fly and I could teach you how to win at grappling," Goku said cheerfully.

Neka scowled at him, "The only reason I would ever teach you how to fly is so you could stay out of the way during true battles, not in exchange for your 'training'. I do not require teachings from the likes of you."

"But I know a whole bunch of stuff," argued Goku, "Like the kamehameha wave!"

"That sounds idiotic."

"It's not, it's a powerful technique!"

"I don't care, now get off of me!" Neka shouted.

Goku sighed, and released her, getting to his feet, "I thought fighting might make you less angry."

Neka got to her feet and glanced at him, "You're a fool in more than one way, Goku," she said, and smirked.

Goku looked at her, "What, why?" he asked, looking clueless.

"Who said we were done fighting?" Neka rushed at him, tackling him clean off the ground and into the grass again, "This is what I mean by tactics!" she shouted as she slammed him into a tree, feeling his pain down her own back, but not caring. She pinned her forearm to his neck, pressing him into the tree, "Never let your guard down. Even when you think the battle is won, you should always finish your enemy off!"

"B-but we were just sparring!" Goku choked, gripping her arm with his hands, trying to pry her away, "You cheated!"

"You think every enemy you come across with fight fairly?" Neka growled, "You're too trusting, Goku."

She let her arm fall and she glared at him as he rubbed his neck. He was like a child, so naïve and ignorant. How was she supposed to handle being trapped with him?

"Not everyone fights dirty though," Goku said softly.

"More people do then don't, Goku," said Neka, crossing her arms, "There are enemies out there beyond your world that would use any means to kill you once they discover that you might have them at a disadvantage. Don't be a fool and let your guard down."

Goku sighed, looking down at her, "I guess… I'll keep that in mind."

"Good, at least something got through that thick skull of yours," muttered Neka, turning away.

Without warning, she was suddenly on the grass, pinned onto her stomach with weight on her back and Goku's laughter in her ears.

"Don't let your guard down, Neka!" he said cheerfully, one knee pressed to her spine to keep her down, and one hand gripping her lower arm, twisting it behind her.

"You son of a-!" Neka began, rage hitting her. That sneaky bastard! How dare he! She was ready to power up to blast him off her back, but a familiar voice came to them,

"Am I… interrupting something?"

"Oh hi, Bulma!" Goku said and released Neka, "We were just sparring. Neka's going to enter the tournament too. She's really strong!"

Before she could move to get up, he gripped her upper arms and pulled her to her feet and brushed her off. Neka swatted his hands away, "Stop it, I'm not a child!" she shouted at him, then looked to the blue haired human female, "Why are you here? I thought we wouldn't be seeing you until the tournament."

"Well after you two left yesterday, I remembered that Neka was too small for most of my clothes that I gave her, and I thought that she couldn't be going around with those, I mean, she has a figure that need to be flattered!" said Bulma cheerfully, then her face became more serious, "And I was worried she might have destroyed the island."

"Don't be silly, Bulma, Neka wouldn't do that," laughed Goku.

"Would if I could," Neka muttered, crossing her arms.

"Well, if you're entering the tournament, we'll need to get you some decent fighting clothes," said Bulma, looking her over.

"Armor would suffice," said Neka briskly.

"Well, they don't exactly just sell armor here," laughed Bulma, "And you'll want to be in something comfortable after all with all the moving you're going to be doing."

Neka scoffed, "Whatever," she muttered, "Bring me the clothes, I will be in the sleeping chamber."

"No, no, I need you to come with!" laughed Bulma, "How will I find anything that fits you if I just guess?"

Neka glanced at her, "You've got to be kidding me," she said bluntly.

"Nope," said Bulma, smiling, "And hey, maybe once you look great you'll get a better attitude."

Neka glared at her, tempted to blast her head off right then and there. Why was everyone so damned cheerful here?

"Goku, you better come along, just in case," said Bulma, and gestured to a strange vehicle behind her, "We'll have to leave the island for a proper store. So come on!"

Neka crossed her arms in the back seat as they flew to the nearest large city. This vehicle had no roof to it, so Bulma's hair was billowing behind her as she drove, and Goku had one arm hanging out over the door of the passenger seat.

"Nimbus is faster," he noted.

"Well not everyone is weird like you, Goku and can ride the stupid cloud," said Bulma.

"I could hold you and Neka could fly beside us!" said Goku.

"Or we could just let me drive like a normal person," said Bulma.

Neka was scowling down at the ocean as they flew over it, still irritated about the trivial errand they were going on. She just wanted her armor back, that was the only apparel she needed, but it seemed this Bulma wanted to dress her like a doll or something. Frustrating. Annoying. Neka shut her eyes, never thinking she would ever want to just be working under Frieza like normal again, but at least she could train with her brother, destroy things at her leisure, and slowly plot the death of that tyrant. Here everything was so trivial and irritating, pointless. She found herself missing Vegeta as well. She wished she could have him around to vent to about everything that had happened. They had always been one another's rock. She wondered how he was doing, believing she was dead.

Looking forward, she saw Goku looking back at her with thoughtful eyes.

"What are you staring at?" she snapped.

Goku tilted his head, "Who are you thinking about?"

"What?" Neka perked a brow.

"You were just feeling, I dunno, sad about someone," he said, "I haven't felt that sort of feeling from you before, it was someone important to you."

Neka glared at him, "Just because we're bonded does not give you permission to snoop around in my head!" she snarled.

"But I can't help it," said Goku, "It was just there and I'm curious."

"Well mind your own business," growled Neka, "I don't ask you about your feelings! As ridiculously soft and annoying as they are!"

"But you told me yesterday that caring for someone holds you back, but you care about whoever you were thinking about then," said Goku.

"Goku, leave her alone," said Bulma, glancing at him, "You're being nosy. If it wasn't for this Bond thing you wouldn't be able to feel her thoughts, and she has a right to some privacy."

Neka glanced at the human girl with a frown. Why was she defending her? She had damaged her home the other day and nearly blasted her. If it hadn't been for Goku, Neka might have killed the girl the other day. Why was everyone on this planet being so kind to her even after she did nothing but treat them like trash? It didn't make any sense to her. These people were strange. She had never encountered such… goodness.

In a way it disgusted her.

But in another…

"Here we are!" Bulma said cheerfully, looking down.

Neka looked over the edge of the vehicle to see they were over land now over a large city. Bulma brought them down and landed in the midst of the buildings. When they all got out of the vehicle, she pressed a button on it, and in a puff of smoke it turned into a small capsule. She pocketed it and looked around with a smile, "Alright, let's get started!"

"There's so many people…" Neka muttered, looking around with a scowl. It was far more populated than the island had been.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a fan of crowds," sighed Bulma, "But it can't be helped! Come on!"

She led the way down the street, Goku following her, smiling again. Neka huffed under her breath and followed after them. The people swarmed around her and she felt herself hot in her skin, incredibly uncomfortable. It was all she could do to keep from lashing out. This shouldn't be happening, she was a warrior, not a tourist! These people should be cowering at her feet, parting for her in fear and respect. Instead, she found herself slowly lagging behind Bulma and Goku.

With the people closing in around her, Neka found it difficult to breathe, and she was panicking, her anger and frustration building in her. Somewhere, she heard Goku's voice call her name, but she was too short to see over all the strange faces around her. Someone ran into her, catching her off guard and she fell back on her back side, catching herself on the heels of her palms, and rage kicked in as she looked up, fire in her dark eyes.

"Hey, watch where you're going, bitch!" snapped the man that had bumped into her, glaring down at her.

Neka clenched her fists, the concrete under her fingers breaking, and she glared up at him, "How dare you, insect, do you even know who you're speaking to?!" she demanded, getting to her feet.

Several people had paused, giving her room at last, and looking at her with confused faces. The man laughed at her.

"No, I don't, nor do I give a shit," he said carelessly.

Neka snapped. That was it! No more! She was fully rested from her ordeal yesterday, and all her anger came rushing out. A pulse of power erupted from her, making everyone around her stumble, and the fur on her tail was on end, her fists clenched.

"Insolent fool!" she spat, aiming a hand at him, "You will regret insulting a Saiyan of royal blood!"

Energy began to form in her palm, making a glowing white orb that began to grow. The man's eyes dilated with fear and Neka smirked viciously, cold pleasure licking up her spine. This was how it should be. People should run and cower at the sight of her, tremble at the mere mention of her name!

"Neka!"

Goku's hand caught her wrist and pulled it down, the orb of energy there evaporating. Neka gasped in irritation and glared at him, ripping out of his grasp.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she demanded.

"Neka, you can't hurt anyone here," said Goku firmly, "Don't you remember? You have to follow the rules here, you can't just attack people."

"He ran into me and insulted me," snapped Neka, turning to glare at the man, her tail lashing, "My honor demands that he regrets it!"

"What the hell are you?" the man gasped, "You're one of those martial artists! With the crazy techniques that shoot beams! I- I'm sorry I bumped into you, please, just- don't hurt me!"

"See, he said sorry," Goku said, still standing between her and the man.

Neka clenched her fists, still wanting to draw blood from something. Goku was looking at her with desperation, and he offered her his arm.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I know you want to hit something, so hit me," said Goku.

"What?" Neka snapped, "What good will that do? I'll feel it too!"

"Well you can't hit anyone else but me here," said Goku firmly.

Neka narrowed her eyes. But she was so angry and pent up, she knew she had to vent it somehow, and she wasn't going to put her thoughts into words for the likes of Goku. The only one she could ever talk to was Vegeta, and he wasn't here. So it was the next best thing.

She drew back a fist and punched Goku as hard as she could into his arm. Goku was sent into the ground and Neka felt pain explode in her own bicep, but she was laughing as she clutched it as sweet relief washed across her. The people around them were muttering to one another and looking worried and frightened. The man that had ran into Neka actually ran off, never looking back. Goku sat up on the ground, clutching his arm and laughing too, looking up at Neka.

"Wow you really are strong. That hurt," he said, still smiling.

Neka was still laughing, clutching her own arm. Bulma had rejoined them as the group around them departed, murmuring uneasily to one another.

"Well, note to self," she said, "Don't let Neka out of sight when in the city. Are you okay, Goku?"

Goku got to his feet, rubbing his arm, "Yeah, it'll just leave a bruise, I'm sure."

Neka finally calmed down from her laughing and stood up fully, the pain in her arm dulling. She looked after where the man had run, and her smile slowly faded.

"So not everyone on this world is kind and overly happy," she said thoughtfully, then smirked again, "Good."

"Good?" Bulma blinked at her, "Neka, you're strange to say the least, but I suppose it should be expected. Let's get going again, huh? Oh, and Goku?" she nodded to Neka then looked pointedly at Goku.

"Oh, right!" Goku walked over and took Neka's hand, holding it firmly.

"What the hell are you doing?" Neka demanded, pulling away.

Goku gripped her hand and smiled at her, "This way we won't get separated again!" he said cheerfully, "When we were running back to find you, Bulma suggested it."

Neka shot the human girl a glare.

"Well, apparently if lose you, you might kill someone!" said Bulma, placing a hand on one hip, "It's just insurance. Now come on! We've wasted enough time!"

Neka scowled as she was dragged along by Goku through the streets again. But at least this time she didn't feel as closed in, distracted too much by how annoyed she was with being treated like a child. Bulma finally led them into one of the buildings where there were several clothing items that looked all foreign and strange to Neka, and not protective at all. Inside the buildings, she was allowed to have her hand back from Goku, since Bulma made him sit down on a bench while she dragged Neka around the shop, holding up different clothing up to her to inspect how it might look.

She tried to have Neka try on some things, but the Saiyan girl refused, and simply stated that if Bulma didn't hurry up with this process, she might lose her temper again. The figured out Neka's 'bra' size was a 32 B, whatever that meant, and got her several of the strange cupped things, as well as more 'panties'. By the time they left, Bulma and Neka were bogged down by several bags and even had to have Goku carry a few. Neka wasn't even certain what was all in all of them, but she had been careful to only allow Bulma to get what looked practical.

When they arrived back on Papaya Island in the hotel room with all the new clothing, Bulma instantly picked out the first outfit and had Neka change into it. When she came out of the washing room with the comfortable cloth shorts and tank top with a strange word in an alien language written across her chest, Neka actually felt a bit better in the new 'bra'. She felt more secure, and that she could move around more, like with her old armor, but it wasn't the same. She felt exposed.

"You look adorable!" Bulma said cheerfully when she came out, "Now, let's see," she produced a brush of some sort and rushed over to Neka, beginning to mess with her hair.

"What are you doing, get your hands off me!" Neka snapped, pushing her away.

Bulma came right back, "Just let me see if I can do something about your hair!" she begged.

Neka scowled and stood still for a moment to let Bulma run the brush down her scalp, but her hair just spiked right back up as soon as the teeth of the brush went past it.

"Why won't it stay down?" Bulma whined.

"It never has, even when wet," said Neka harshly, "Saiyan hair doesn't change, it hasn't since my birth."

"Oh, well I guess that explains why Goku's hair is always the same," said Bulma, glancing at him as he watched from where he sat on a bed.

He grinned, "I like her hair like that Bulma," he said, "It's wild like she is."

Bulma laughed, "I suppose that's true," she looked back at Neka, placing her hands on her hips, "At least your bangs are cute."

Neka perked a brow at the word 'cute'. She sighed heavily, already exhausted again like she had been yesterday. They had shopped for hours, and she found that this day was more stressful than the days when she would be clearing out planets for Frieza. At least she got to destroy things to blow off steam when she did that. Here she couldn't even kill one person. Stupid sentimental rules. How was she going to survive this?

"Well, four more days until the tournament," said Goku cheerfully.

Neka grunted and went to sit down. At least that was true. Maybe she could fight someone that would be a challenge there. At least she would be able to get out all this pent up energy and frustration. Bulma slept in a separate room from them that night. Neka found herself laying in her bed, her mind wandering. In the bed next to her, she could hear Goku snoring softly. His mind was quiet and peaceful while he slept, still pure, but at least it was calm and she almost felt like she had her mind to herself again.

Vegeta. She hoped her twin was doing well. She remembered the broken Scouter in the bag of Bulma's clothes, and reminded herself to demand the girl try to fix it tomorrow, but ensure she didn't accidently turn it on. For if Frieza came here to finish her off… There was no way she stood a chance, especially with Goku. He was strong, but he was certainly no match for the tyrant, and if Goku died…

So would she.

Neka bit the inside of her cheek and closed her eyes. Damn it, she thought, her luck continued to spiral downward. But… she thought, for the first time, maybe it could be worse. She was on a planet where there were people kind enough to give her food and shelter and even all this clothing, despite how angry she was and how poorly she treated them. She could have been Bonded to someone so much worse than Goku. A coward or someone who was full of themselves. Goku was none of these things, and although his naïve nature and his innocence annoyed Neka, she realized it could have been worse.

And maybe she was kind of lucky after all.

But she wasn't about to admit that fully, not yet.


	5. Keeping Control

"So, can you fix it or not?"

Neka crossed her arms, glaring at Bulma as the human female looked over the busted up Scouter. They were sitting outside a building that sold food at one of the tables. Goku was in the chair beside her, Bulma across from them as she tinkered away.

"The design looks simple enough," said Bulma, "And you said you have to make sure that it doesn't transmit a signal that whoever tried to kill you might track?"

"Correct," said Neka briskly, "But I still want to be able to hear the transmissions, and possibly transmit to a certain Scouter alone."

"Do you use frequencies?" asked Bulma.

"The signals these send are far more advanced then what you're used to, I'm certain," Neka scoffed, "They're made to be able to get signals from across the universe from one another."

"Okay, fine," said Bulma with a sigh and looking it over again, "I'll figure out a way to mask the signal before I try to reactivate it."

"It's crucial that the signal isn't found," said Neka harshly, "If it is before I'm ready, nothing will save this planet from him."

"Who exactly is this guy anyway?" asked Goku, his mouth full. He had already gone through three plates of food. He certainly had the appetite of a Saiyan.

"Don't worry about it," growled Neka, "When I face him, I plan on you being out of the way completely. You would only get me killed."

Goku pouted, "But I showed you that I'm strong!" he defended.

"You're not stronger than me, let alone him," spat Neka.

"But I pinned you down the other day!" Goku protested.

"You truly think I was taking that squabble seriously?" Neka scoffed, leaning back in her chair. There were several empty plates in front of her as well, but she was too flustered to eat her normal fill.

"Uh! But you tricked me to make me let you go!" Goku said.

"To prove a point to you," said Neka flatly, "You're strong, Goku, but not that strong. You need more training."

"But I completed my training with Mr. Popo," said Goku, looking extremely put out.

"You think that matters?" demanded Neka, "There will always be stronger opponents out there. No one can ever complete training, because if you truly want to become the strongest, you can never stop improving. No matter what, someone out there is one step ahead of you," she cast him a glare, "It's childish to think otherwise."

Bulma laughed, "Watching you two is so cute," she said.

"What?" Neka looked at her, narrowing her eyes.

Bulma waved her hands wildly, "I mean! It's just funny, how complete opposites you are, but you're stuck together. It's like an old married couple," she laughed again, but Neka's glare cut her off.

"I don't know what a 'married couple' is, but I am not coupled with this idiot in any way," Neka growled.

"But you are with this Bond thing!" said Bulma.

"It's just a hiccup. I'll figure a way around it," Neka muttered.

"So, Neka," said Goku, looking back at her after he finished his last plate, "If you were holding back, then… how strong are you really?"

Neka grunted and looked away, "I'm a Saiyan Princess, I've been training my entire life to be the most elite of all of our race. There's only one other Saiyan on par with me. But I can't even demonstrate how strong I am on this pitiful planet, or with the likes of you since I just feel everything I inflict. Not to mention…"

"What?" asked Goku.

Neka closed her eyes, her brow furrowed in annoyance, "The other day I tried to hit you as hard as I could in the arm. By what I've felt from you when we grappled, it should have punched your arm clean off."

"You tried to punch Goku's arm off?!" gasped Bulma.

"He told me to hit him," Neka snapped, "But it didn't snap his arm off, it was like something cushioned it," her eyes snapped open, "It's this stupid Bond. It's keeping me from actually hurting you beyond just me feeling your pain."

"Well, didn't Kami say it was basically your souls were fused together but you kept separate bodies?" asked Bulma, "Maybe your soul doesn't want to hurt itself."

"Ridiculous," spat Neka, and in her frustration she wiped an arm, knocking all the empty plates in front of her off the table where they crashed to the ground, some shattering.

"Hey!" Bulma yelped, "What gives?! I'll probably have to pay for that!"

"Neka, calm down!" Goku said, laughing nervously as they were gathering stares from the people at the tables around them.

Calm down?! Thought Neka, rage boiling inside her. How was she supposed to calm down? The only thing that relaxed her was fighting, and she couldn't even do that here. She couldn't even spar, because the only semi decent fighter she had seen on this planet was Bonded to her! It was too much!

Neka stood, turning and beginning to walk away.

"Neka, where are you going?" Goku called after her.

"All this sitting around is driving me nuts," she snapped, "I'm sick and tired of doing nothing," she slowly smirked, "It's about time I had some fun."

"Neka- no, wait- Neka you' can't!" Goku got to his feet, stepping toward her, "Please, just, wait a little longer! The tournament is in three days, can't you at least wait until then? You can fight there!"

"You call squabbling under guidelines and rules fighting?!" Neka whirled to face him, hands clenched, "You asked how strong I truly was. Well let me give you a sample," she looked at the building behind them and aimed a palm at it, grinning wickedly.

"Neka, NO!" Goku cried, "There's people in there!"

An orb began to form in Neka's hand, and her jaw was set in fury, eyes alight with fire.

"I don't care!" she cried.

The people at the tables around them saw the strange light in her hand and heard her yelling, and were running. Neka watched them scramble, a dark joy spinning up her spine. Like ants. So insignificant, so disposable. Let them all die, let them all burn!

"Goku, do something!" Bulma yelled.

Neka narrowed her eyes, ready to fire. The wicked grin on her face was wild, and she felt violence spilling throughout her blood, sizzling beneath her skin. But then, there was Goku.

He was standing right in the path of her blast, arms stretched wide, face determined.

"What are you doing?" Neka demanded.

"I won't let you hurt anyone," Goku said sharply, glaring at her, "Stop it Neka. Put your arm down."

"You think you can stop me just by standing in the way?" Neka asked, her smirk coming back, "You are not my authority, you have no say or power over what I do!"

"Then I'm asking you," said Goku, desperation showing clean on his face, and assaulting the back of her mind, "Please, Neka, stop."

Neka glared at him, her smirk falling from her face, "Why do you feel the need to protect them?" she asked harshly, "You're stronger than all of them, you could have anything you wanted with your power. You're a Saiyan, you should feel the call to fight, the need to exert your strength, so why do you resist and live among these insects?"

"I may be a Saiyan, but this is my home," said Goku, still glaring at her, "And I have friends here, and I protect innocent lives."

"No life is innocent," snarled Neka.

"That's not true," said Goku harshly.

Neka lowered her hand, the orb of power vanishing. She saw Bulma let out a sigh of relief, and Goku lowered his arms, but was still glaring at her.

"What made you like this, Neka?" he asked.

Neka grunted and turned her back on him, "Don't talk to me like that, Goku," she spat, "You're the defective one," and she took off flying, not looking back at him, and hating the feeling of pity he was sending to the back of her mind.

*.*.*.*

"Goku, you know that one day she's going to really snap, and you won't be able to stop her," said Bulma, looking over at him as Neka took off into the sky, fading into the distance.

Goku sighed, his shoulders slumping. Her anger exhausted him, but he was still determined.

"She's going to kill someone, one day," pressed Bulma.

"I won't let that happen," said Goku firmly.

"Goku, so far, I think you've just been lucky you've been able to keep her from killing anyone," said Bulma, "Speaking of, you better go after her before she decides to blow up the entire island."

Goku nodded, "Nimbus!" he called.

Nimbus soared down and he jumped aboard. He looked back at Bulma, "I'll be back with her soon."

Bulma sighed and looked at the Scouter again, "Maybe once I get this working she'll be too busy spying on transmissions to think about how angry she is. I've never met someone so damned pissed all the time."

Goku laughed a bit, "Yeah," he said, "But, I dunno, it's kind of exciting."

Bulma perked a brow at him, "What?"

"Well, I mean, it's like a constant challenge," said Goku, grinning, "I think with this whole Bond thing, and with Neka around, I'll never be bored again!"

"Leave it to you to only be concerned about your boredom," laughed Bulma, "Now go on, before someone gets killed," her voice turned grave at the end, and Goku nodded, knowing he should hurry.

Flying Nimbus on, he found that he didn't even have to rely on the tricks Mr. Popo taught him on how to sense energy to find Neka. With this Bond, he somehow knew exactly where she was. She was staying still too, so he easily caught up.

Neka was floating above the ocean water, cross legged, arms folded, eyes shut, a scowl on her face. Goku paused a few yard away, watching her. Her anger was stale in him mind now, and he could tell she was thinking hard about something. Prodding further, he could tell it was about that person again, the one person that Neka cared about. She was missing him again- him? Yes, it was a him. He could just tell.

"Stop it," Neka snapped.

Goku started so violently he nearly fell off of Nimbus. He caught himself and looked at Neka sheepishly as she opened one eye to glare at him.

"Stop what?" he asked.

"You're poking around in my head," Neka snarled, "I can feel it. Knock it off."

"But I can't help-" Goku began.

"Bullshit!" Neka spat, her anger bubbling up again, "I could feel you prodding. Stop it."

Goku laid on his stomach across Nimbus, "I just… who you're thinking about makes you happy, right?"

"Happy isn't the word for it," muttered Neka, looking away and closing her eyes again, "I don't do happy."

"Why not?" asked Goku.

Neka gritted her teeth, "Tell me, Goku," she said, "You said that you were a baby when your 'grandpa' found you?"

"Yeah, he found me in the forest," said Goku.

"And how old are you now?" she asked.

"I'm eighteen," said Goku, frowning, wondering where she was going with this. At least the anger had gone down some, but it was replaced with a different sort of feeling. It was the pain, the dark pain that was always hinted behind her rage, but now it was plain, sitting out and alone, and it made Goku's heart clench.

Neka nodded slowly, "So you must have been sent off six years before it happened," she muttered, "You weren't even aware, because you hit your head and were raised as one of these humans."

"Before what happened?" Goku pressed.

Neka turned away from him, "Before our planet was destroyed," she said harshly, "Don't you remember me telling you? But then… if you were sent off six years before…" she opened her eyes again, and looked back, "Then they must have had records of your departure. They must have known there was a Saiyan infant sent out to level a planet that never returned, so then what happened? Did they assume you failed, I wonder? That you died? Or…" her voice trailed off and she looked out toward the setting sun.

Not much of what she was saying was making sense to Goku. What was she talking about? Records? Leveling a planet? Was that really what he was sent to Earth to do? His grandpa had told him that he had been a very rowdy child until he hit his head, and then he was cheerful as could be. If he hadn't hit his head, would he have been as violent and angry as Neka?

"Or?" he prompted.

Neka looked back at him, "Or it's possible he knows there's a Saiyan on this planet and never told us…" she whispered, "Which means he may come here one day and seek you out and find me."

"Who?" asked Goku, frowning at the dread that he could feel coming from her.

"The one who tried to kill me," said Neka softly, and then clenched her fists, "Damn it. If he comes here- or even if he sends Dodoria or Zarbon- No! I'm not strong enough yet!" she straightened her legs and glared out at the ocean, "Goku, I have to train, I have to get stronger. If there's even the slightest chance that they could know you were sent here, and they come to collect you and the planet, I have to be ready!"

Goku blinked at her, completely confused, "What do you mean, collect me and the planet?"

"Saiyan infants were sent out to wipe out the entire population of planets so that they could be sold," said Neka, looking back at him, "Sometimes, they leave the Saiyan on the planet for years. It's also an excellent way to train Saiyans to embrace their thirst for battle at a young age. Which means that someday, he might show up to get you for his personal army, and the planet to sell off, but when he sees that the planet is still populated, and that you're not a normal Saiyan, and that I'm here…" she clenched her fists, "If I'm not ready, then we're dead. He'll kill me, and destroy the entire planet!"

"So even without your Scouter sending a signal, this guy might already come to this planet anyway?" asked Goku.

"There's a chance," said Neka, "But surely we would have been told about another Saiyan… Maybe the records of you coming here were destroyed with our planet," she seemed to relax, "That's a possibility. But, I still need to train. Just in case. I have to at least be ready for Zarbon or Dodoria… at least."

Goku frowned at her. All these names were strange. He wanted to ask, but he knew she would just tell him to mind his own business. It wasn't fair. It involved him and his home, so why couldn't he know? And he was strong too. Surely he could help!

"Goku."

Goku blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as she looked at him.

"This Piccolo, is he as strong as you say he is?" she demanded.

"Well, I haven't fought this one yet," said Goku, "But his father was pretty strong. Kami says his son is even stronger, much, much stronger."

"That will have to do," muttered Neka, "If he's the strongest on this rock, I'll challenge him. The training will surely help me improve somewhat."

"Neka, you can't fight Piccolo!" gasped Goku.

Neka glared at him, "Why not?"

"It's me he wants," said Goku, "And I'm going to stop him at the tournament. I've been training for three years to do it."

"If he's as strong as you say he is," said Neka, crossing her arms, "Then why do you want to face him alone? That's idiotic."

"I can do it," said Goku firmly.

And he knew he could. He had to. It was his job to take down Piccolo.

"You're a fool," sighed Neka, letting her arms fall to her sides, "But you have Saiyan pride," she glanced at him, eyes thoughtful, "Fine. I'll let you have this Piccolo. But only to see how strong you truly are. But if it appears that you're going to be killed, I will be forced to step in. I won't let you risk your life when it also means risking mine."

Goku beamed at her, pleased that she, for the first time, seemed to have the slightest of approval of him, "Thanks, Neka! I won't let you down, I promise."

"Don't thank me," Neka growled, looking away, "Now, there must be something useless on this planet that I can destroy? Something that won't make you or the human female whine like infants?"

Goku laughed and sat on his cloud properly, "Sure! Come on!"

*.*.*.*

Neka laughed viciously as she aimed another heavy beam through the next spire of rock. The explosion blew back her hair, and she smiled darkly, reveling in watching the rock dissolve under her wrath. Another! She thought, and whirled, shooting another mighty blast from her hand. The small mountain to her right was reduced to rubble upon impact. Beautiful.

Goku sat on Nimbus near her, watching with wide eyes. She could feel his shock and awe in the back of her mind, but ignored it, turning and shooting another beam at the next spire, watching with lustful eyes as it vanished, particle by particle. It wasn't blood. It wasn't guts. But it would do for now.

For now.

She finally stopped, panting, placing her hands on her knees. The area that Goku had brought her was an abandoned wasteland with a few mountains and several spires and bluffs. Now, in about an one thousand yard radius, it was flatted to nothing. It had taken her fifteen minutes, and that was only because she was taking her time, relishing in every explosion, every piece of destruction.

"That was amazing!" Goku finally gasped, "It's like a bunch of kamehameha waves, only you can keep going after one without losing that much energy!"

Neka glanced at him, "You mean that wave you were talking about is an energy beam?"

"Yeah, watch," Goku hopped off Nimbus and then crouched, tucking his hands behind him, "Kaaaa! Meeee!" a small spark of power formed in his hands, and began to grow, "Haaaa! Meeee!" he grinned, then threw his hands forward, "HAAAA!"

The blast rocketed forward, a huge massive wave of white-blue, cutting across the landscape and making Neka nearly lose her footing. Yes, it was energy work, but it was more potent in a way. He was packing more energy into it. When the blast faded, there was a deep rut in the ground that went as far as Neka could see. She blinked then looked at Goku.

"That's the only blast move you can do?" she asked bluntly.

Goku straightened and looked at her, "Yeah, why?"

Neka sighed heavily. More and more it seemed that it was going to be inevitable that she train this boy. He would have to learn how to defend himself decently in case Frieza or his men did show up on this planet so that Neka wouldn't be held back or worse yet, killed because of his incompetence.

But she had to admit. That energy blast was powerful.

"Don't worry about it, I'll deal with it later," she said to him and turned, glaring across at the setting sun. At least she had worked some steam off. Maybe she wouldn't want to kill anyone for the rest of the night. Though that seemed unlikely.

"Do you feel better, then?" Goku asked cheerfully, coming to her side and smiling.

Neka glanced at him, "For now," she said evenly.

"Great!" Goku beamed, "I know a few spots like this, I can take you to another tomorrow if you feel upset again."

"Upset- I-" Neka stuttered, anger building in her again, "I wasn't upset! This is normal!" she spat, "A Saiyan needs destruction, needs to fight, it's in our blood."

"I don't need destruction," said Goku, blinking.

"That's because you're defective, we've been over this," sighed Neka, and was just exhausted from his idiocy. She shook her head and turned, "Let's get back to the island, I'm done for the day."

Goku hopped back onto his cloud, grinning once more, "I'm glad you feel better," he said as they flew across the sky.

Neka glanced at him, then away. She was guessing the only reason he was pleased was because he could feel her emotions just as well as she could feel his. She supposed one as cheery as him must be tired of all her anger and frustration, just like she was sick of his sappy softness. They really were complete opposites, like Bulma said. Could she ever get used to this? She was still determined to find a way to get rid of this ridiculous bond, but she had to face the possibility that it was a forever deal.

What would Vegeta think of Goku?

The thought hadn't crossed her mind before and she blinked in surprise that it hadn't. Surely one day, when she was strong enough to face Frieza, if she was still stuck with Goku, Vegeta would have to meet him. She grimaced. She knew her twin would detest this defective Saiyan just as much as she did. But he couldn't actually hurt him because it would be hurting Neka. It would be a huge strain on self control for both her and her brother.

Neka had to find out how to get rid of this Bond.

*.*.*.*

Somewhere far off in the universe, a Saiyan Prince clenched his fists, his rage building slowly up through his chest.

"Impossible," he breathed.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta, but it's true," said Nappa slowly. He too had a look of fury on his face. But Vegeta did not care about his sentiments. He didn't like Nappa, not truly, he didn't like anyone, but his sister…

He cared for her.

So what Nappa was telling him couldn't be true.

Neka, a warrior powerful enough to destroy entire worlds, killed in an asteroid belt? It was disgusting, it wasn't a death worthy of her! To be ripped from her pod and frozen and suffocated to death by the cold airless reaches of space… It couldn't be true. It couldn't be possible!

"I want to see her body," Vegeta snapped, "I want proof! I want her Scouter in my hand, bits of her broken vessel at my feet!"

Raditz was leaning on the nearby wall, scowling at the ground, arms folded across his chest, "Zarbon said that it wasn't worth the trouble of recovering," he growled.

Vegeta let out a roar and turned, punching into the wall leaving a massive dent. He knew what happened. He wasn't foolish. They didn't want him to see the body because it would not be dead from lack of oxygen, or frozen. There might not even be a body left, if Frieza himself did it. Why didn't he see this coming? He should have, it stupid of him to ignore his misgivings.

Neka, the last female Saiyan alive… the last one capable of bearing a full blooded Saiyan child. But it was more than that, Vegeta thought viciously. Frieza could have had Neka sterilized to the point where she couldn't have children easily. But instead… instead he gets news that his twin was killed in an asteroid belt on her way back from a strange mission to investigate an empty planet.

No, Vegeta was no fool.

Frieza had crossed a line. He had taken everything from him, and Vegeta was ready to go and confront him then and there, to rip his heart out of his chest and shove it down his throat. No death would be slow enough for that tyrant.

"Vegeta?" Raditz's voice brought Vegeta back from the brink of snapping.

He looked over at him, and slowly steadied his breathing.

"This will be a setback," he muttered, crossing his arms, glaring at the ground, an icy cold calm slowly enveloping him, "Neka was as strong as I am, and losing her will affect our plans. But we will continue them," hatred burned in his voice, "And may Neka's memory drive us on. We have training to do."

"Just like that?" Nappa snapped, looking at him, "We all know what happened. We can't just ignore this!"

"Shut the hell up, Nappa," said Vegeta harshly, "There's a reason you're not in charge. You're too rash. Going in there head on right now would be suicide, and we all know it. We have to get stronger, and as Saiyans, that is what we are best at," he clenched a fist in front of him, glaring at his knuckles, "Each defeat makes us come back twice as strong, we overcome any obstacle, no matter how many times we have to face it, and we hit it harder each time. This will be no difference."

"But it was your sister," said Raditz, looking at Vegeta, "Our Princess."

"I am well aware," said Vegeta in a deadly calm voice, "But we will only avenge her if we succeed," he felt himself starting to shake but he held strong, too proud to show any waver in strength before his men, "We will continue as is, until the day comes that we become strong enough to defeat him."

For Vegeta would not, could not, allow anything less than perfect revenge for Neka. For her, he would remain cold and calm, for her, he would wait, no matter how painful, and for her, he would destroy Frieza into oblivion. It's what Neka deserved, what she would have done for him. The last piece of his family, the last being he actually cared for, and she was gone.

Everything else was now pieces in his game, and he was going to win for Neka, no matter what.

*.*.*.*

One more day, Neka kept telling herself, one more day, and you can fight. It wasn't real fighting, she knew, not true battle to the death with no rules or restrictions, but still, it was fighting. And maybe she would calm down some more.

She was doing better this day than the day before. It seemed flattening out land helped get her anger and frustration down. But still, she felt it, the desire to destroy and hurt and kill was still pent up within her. She sat on the balcony watching the sun set on her fourth day on this world. She just had to survive tomorrow, and then the day after that would be the tournament. Neka still didn't know why she agreed to let Goku have Piccolo for himself. But after all, if he had defeated his father before, and he was weaker then than he was now, perhaps this Piccolo wasn't that strong of a foe.

Perhaps once Piccolo was defeated, Goku would leave this world and they could go somewhere more worthy to train. Neka knew, however, that she couldn't be separated from him. He was too much of a liability. She had to protect him to protect herself. It was incredibly irritating, supremely annoying, and ridiculously inconvenient. She was still fathomed as to how she even got into this mess.

What was she going to do?

"Neka!"

Neka flinched and turned to see Goku rushing out onto the balcony, his face lit up, and she could feel excitement plain in the back of her mind pumping from him. She was getting better as blocking his emotions out, but when they were really intense, they could not be held at bay, and flooded her mind like an infection. She almost felt a smile tugging at her own lips from how thrilled he was, and she forced the feeling away. It wasn't her feelings, wasn't her emotion, she had to tell herself.

"What?" she snapped.

"Bulma came up with an idea!" Goku said in a rush, grinning ear to ear.

"Good for her, now go away," Neka growled, leaning her elbows back on the railing and propping her chin up on her hands, looking out at the setting sun, her tail twitching behind her.

"Neka, listen!" begged Goku, coming to her side and leaning forward so that he was in her field of vision.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?!"

"Fine! What do you want?!" Neka bellowed.

Goku beamed, "Well, she said with this whole feeling one another's pain thing, that it could be like- like- what was the word, Bulma?" he called back into the room.

Neka closed her eyes as she heard Bulma sigh and she headed onto the balcony as well.

"Exposure therapy. You two can feel each other's pain, but the actual wound doesn't show up on your body when the other is injured, right?" she asked.

Neka opened one eye to glance at Goku as he pulled up a sleeve and revealed a rather harsh bruise on his arm from the other day when Neka punched him.

"Neka's arm looks fine," he confirmed.

"So that leads the only logical answer to be is that it's a mental thing, and if you two are exposed to one another's pain enough, you could essentially get used to it to the point of being able to block it out," said Bulma.

"So?" Neka pressed, closing both eyes again, indifferent.

"So we could train like normal together!" said Goku cheerfully.

Neka grunted. This idea had occurred to her days ago. That the human female figured it out was no big accomplishment like he was making it out to be. It was common sense, which Goku seemed to lack.

"I know that we could do that," she said irritably, "But it's going to take time. There's no way we'd be able to get used to it before the tournament."

"But can we start now, anyway?" asked Goku.

Neka glanced at him. His eyes were wide and shining, like an excited child. Neka felt a small prick of admiration despite herself. He did have Saiyan blood in him, constantly wishing to fight, to be challenged.

"You want to be crippled in time for the tournament?" she asked blandly, "You don't want to fight me for real, Goku. It wouldn't end well for you."

"I can just have a sensu bean if things get that bad!" pressed Goku, "Please, Neka?"

Neka turned away from him, "We can test our limits for now," she said thoughtfully, "And then after this tournament we can start training for real."

"Great!" said Goku, and a burst of wild excitement crashed into the back of Neka's head, making her thoughts spin.

"Stop that!" she snapped, "You're too damned happy, this is serious business, not play time."

"I can't help it!" said Goku, still grinning and getting up on the railing, looking down, "There's a forest near the arena, we can start there!"

"Goku, the sun's going down!" said Bulma, "You really want to start right now?"

"Sure!" Goku said, looking back at her, "Why not? Do you wanna come?"

"Well, I guess so I can make sure you both don't die or something," said Bulma, sighing.

"Well hop on!" said Goku, gesturing to his back.

Bulma blinked, "What?"

"Get on my back! It'll be faster to take Nimbus, and you can't ride properly," said Goku.

"Goku," Bulma frowned at him, "I can just go and pop a capsule."

"But Nimbus is faster!" Goku pressed.

"For fuck's sake," breathed Neka and straightened up and grabbed Bulma, making the taller female yelp as she was tossed over Neka's shoulder like a doll. She turned and looked at Goku, "Let's go," she said, and took off flying toward the tree line by the large center stadium with Bulma crying out in fear at her sheer speed.

Goku appeared behind them on Nimbus, laughing as they reached the forest and landed. Neka dropped Bulma off her shoulder carelessly, and the human female landed roughly on her back side in the grass, propping herself on her elbows and scowling, her hair a mess.

"That was NOT necessary, Neka!" she snapped, getting to her feet and brushing herself off.

"You were taking too long," Neka said, crossing her arms and glaring up at her.

Goku was still laughing, "Come on, Bulma, that was a lot faster than getting a capsule!"

Bulma sighed in defeat, "I can't wait until Yamcha gets here, then maybe I won't be so outnumbered."

Goku rushed into the clearing as Nimbus flew off, and beckoned Neka, "Come on! While we still have some daylight!"

Neka grunted and went to square off with him, crouching, "I'll go easy on you," she said with a slight smirk, "No blasts or flying. But even then, I doubt it'll even things up."

Goku crouched as well, one hand on and one tucked back in a fighting stance, and he grinned, "Alright! I won't use the kamehameha either then!"

"Tch," Neka scoffed, her smirk growing. This was more than just testing how far they could go with the pain.

She wanted to test how far she could go against Goku, and if there was a way to break past the cushion that the Bond gave him. Of course she would have to be careful. If she went too far and killed him, it was game over for both of them.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:::

Wow, everyone, so many new favorites and follows! Thank you all so much for reading! Once again, I decided to put up the next chapter because of how much it seems all of you are enjoying it! I wanted to point out, however, that there is a slight change in canon in this fic. Most of us all know Goku's space pod was sent off moments before planet Vegeta was destroyed. I changed this to where he was sent off six years before it happened. I wanted to sort of close the age distance between him and Neka while still keeping her Vegeta's twin. I am well aware that if this were closer to canon, Goku would only be twelve and just entering the first tournament, however this is not the case here, as stated in the chapter, he's eighteen, and about to enter the third World Martial Arts tournament where he will face Piccolo Jr. Sorry if I wasn't clear about this small change before, I didn't realize people would kind of freak out before it was explained. Sorry if this slight change irritates anyone, but I figured it was minor enough to not make anyone get too upset.

Once again, thank you all for the follows and favorites. And I also hope you all enjoy the new cover art I made. The link to the full size image of that is in my profile, if you want to get a better look at Neka. Please keep up the reviews and such, I love your guys' feedback!

-Red


	6. Pushing Limits

Goku rushed at her, a light glee in his chest. Finally! He got to pit himself against Neka, and she was actually going to take him seriously. He itched to know her true potential, longed to face against her, to test the strength he had gained. As he held back a fist, ready to swipe, he saw Neka smirk for a moment before she vanished. Goku's punch cut through empty air, and he staggered.

Quick! He thought, use your senses!

There!

Goku turned just in time to bring up his forearm to block Neka's kick. But it slammed into him like a truck. Such strength! Pain rippled through his arm as his block caved and he was sent flying back. He landed roughly and sat up to see Neka's eyes glazed in pain as she clutched her forearm, the same one she just kicked, but the pain didn't set her back for long. She spat on the ground, gritting her teeth, and she was rushing him once again.

Neka let out a furious yowl as she jumped into the air, turning around with her leg snapping out and her heel coming down hard across Goku's face. He was sent crashing into a tree so hard that the one foot thick trunk broke like a twig. Pain was blooming harshly across his jaw and back as he fell, the tree crashing down next to him. Somewhere, Bulma was yelping in shock, but Goku's head was swimming too much to figure out where she was.

Something grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him up before a knee slammed into his gut, sending him flipping over to land roughly on his already pain laced back. This was crazy! Neka didn't seem nearly this strong when they grappled or when she punched him in the city. He clutched his middle, trying to get passed the pain, to get up.

Neka was leaning on a tree, her eyes shut tight as she clutched her own gut and arm, her teeth grit, pain was stark across her face. Goku could taste blood somewhere in his mouth. He managed to sit up, and with a burst of determination, he jumped to his feet, wincing in pain. Neka's eyes snapped opened just in time for Goku's fist to collide with her face.

This was the first time he had actually caused Neka pain, or the first time she had been in physical pain around him at all, and it was surreal how he felt the pain of that punch plain across his own face so vividly. He staggered back, yelping in pain as he heard Neka fall backward.

"Lucky shot!" Neka spat, struggling to her feet, "If I wasn't crippled by this damned curse, you would never be able to touch me!"

Goku laughed, "That really does hurt!" he crouched, shaking off the pain that was still clutching his body, "It feels so real!"

Neka grit her teeth, "It's not," she growled, "Our pain is separate, we have to find a way around this- we have to!" she rushed at him again.

Goku yelped and scrambled to block her next attack. Once again, she was merciless, and she landed a flurry of punches on his chest, moving so fast Goku didn't even have the chance to see where they were coming from in time to block. He staggered backward, seeing Neka wincing in pain, nearly faltering in her assault, but she pressed on, twisting and crashing a knee into his side, sending him into the ground again.

Finally, she fell to one knee, gasping for air. Goku lay panting and laughing on the ground.

"Wow, you're really strong," he coughed, shakily propping himself on one arm to look at her, his other arm cradling his stinging chest, "Why didn't you try this hard before?"

"I did try," Neka rasped, "But like I said, there's a sort of bubble. Even now, I'm pushing myself as far as I can go against you," she glared at him, "I'm using all my raw power, the power I use to destroy planets, but this Bond is protecting you, and it's like… like…" she shook her head, "Like it's draining more of my energy than normal."

"Well, Goku's energy is low from you beating the shit out of him," Bulma pointed out, "It could be it's affecting you."

"This is so stupid," hissed Neka, punching into the ground, so hard it make the earth shake and left a small crater, "These limitations, this liability!"

"Well, we have some boundaries set, at least," said Bulma, placing her hands on her hips, "If rough ones. There's some sort of barrier protecting you from each other. It's actually kind of ingenuous. I mean, think about it, say you use one of those blasts too close to Goku one day. While it would be perfectly potent on your enemy, Goku would sort of be shielded from it, so you wouldn't accidently kill him, thus killing yourself," she nodded, "It makes sense actually."

"What about you?" Neka demanded of Goku, glaring at him, "Do you feel limited when you hit me?"

"Wh-what?" Goku asked, blinking, "Limited?"

"Like it's cushioned!" snapped Neka.

"I don't know," Goku shrugged.

Neka hissed in irritation, "Hit me."

"What?"

"You heard me!" Neka bellowed, "Get up and hit me as hard as you can. You have to get used to feeling my pain anyway, get used to ignoring it."

Goku struggled to his feet, "I don't know Neka, I mean I don't want to hurt you," he said.

Neka actually laughed. Goku blinked in surprise at the sound. It was kind of pleasant, her laugh.

"You? A defective low class Saiyan like you hurt me? Don't be ridiculous. Hit me," she said, and got up, walking to his and offering him her cheek.

Goku was still hesitant, "As hard as I can…?"

"Were we not just fighting without holding back?" Neka barked, "Why are you hesitating now?"

"Well, it's different when it's a free hit," Goku mumbled.

"Just fucking hit me!" Neka cried.

Goku pulled back his fist, and with all his might, threw out a punch.

It connected with Neka's jaw, and she stumbled back a pace, gasping. Goku staggered from the pain in his own face, hand rushing up to clutch it. But it wasn't as painful as he expected it to be.

"Well?" she demanded, rubbing her jaw, glaring at him, "Am I to expect you're that weak, or was that cushioned?"

"Uh, well," Goku frowned, "When I hit someone that hard they usually go flying. But you're really, really strong, Neka, so I can't tell if that's how it would be normally on you."

Neka scoffed, turning away, "This is going to be so annoying…"

"Really, Neka, you're super strong!" said Goku, looking at her with wide eyes, "You have to train me after the tournament."

"I 'have' to, do I?" snapped Neka, glaring at him, "Well, yes, I guess I do, I can't be 'Bonded' to some weakling defect. At the pitiful level you're at right now, Zarbon or Dodoria could kill you by flicking you. Let alone the Ginyu Force. Tch…"

"You keep using the weirdest names," said Goku, frowning.

"What's a Ginyu Force?" Bulma laughed.

Neka grunted in irritation, "Never mind," she grumbled, and turned, "Once this tournament is over, I'll train you. But only to keep myself from dying because of your pathetic excuse for fighting. It's not for you!"

"Okay, okay!" Goku said, then grinned, "I know if I train with you I'll get even stronger than I am now!" glee flooded him, "It'll be so great!" he squealed.

Neka shook her head, "Stop that! When you get like that it's so annoying, like an… explosion in the back of my mind of softness. It's disgusting."

Goku felt her irritation heavily in the back of his own mind, but he didn't care. He was too excited. He had thought that no one else could train him beyond what Mr. Popo had. But now that Neka was here, she could train him to be as strong as she was! And maybe one day they could get passed this feeling each other's pain thing, and they could fight for real.

But Goku settled himself, realizing something. Neka would be a huge challenge, for certain, and he wasn't even close to being able to face her yet, but there was something, someone, he had to beat before he could even think about training with her.

Piccolo.

"What?" asked Neka, frowning at him, "You're mood finally dropped. Not that I'm complaining."

"Nothing," said Goku, glancing at Bulma. He didn't want her to know Piccolo's son was going to be at the tournament. It would just worry her, and he didn't want her to be scared.

He could beat Piccolo, he knew he could! And as he looked at Neka, and saw the understanding cross her face as she too glanced at Bulma, he knew that even if he couldn't…

Neka wouldn't let Piccolo win.

It made him a bit sad that it wasn't to save the world, or to stop Piccolo's evil ways, or even to save Goku's life if it came down to that. Goku knew she would only to it to save herself. Again, he wondered what made her this way. Could losing her home world have been that dramatic? He supposed it must have been terrible, and surely someone she cared about had been on that planet when it was destroyed. But he had lost his Grandpa Gohan when he was a child, and that hadn't made him bad. In fact, it just made him strive to be good.

So what happened to her?

"Well if you two are done beating the crap out of each other, maybe we can go back?" asked Bulma. The sun had gone down completely now, and they were in deep darkness, "I'm freezing."

"Tch," Neka rolled her eyes, "You humans are soft. This is hardly cold. I've been on worlds where there was nothing but ice underfoot."

"Yes, yes, you're so much better than us, now can you pick me up again and can we get back to the hotel?" Bulma snapped.

Neka shrugged and walked to Bulma, grabbing her and tossing her over her shoulder again.

"Ah!" Bulma yelped at her roughness, "You could at least carry me in your arms this isn't exactly comfortable- WAH!"

Neka took off flying, cutting Bulma off mid-sentence.

Goku couldn't help but laugh. Despite everything, her hating him, her being so dark, her caring only for herself and revenge, he couldn't help but find some part of her endearing. It was weird. He didn't feel this sort of way toward any other girl. But he had never met a girl like her, so strong, stronger than him! And so fierce and focused. She was a challenge in almost every way, and there was little Goku loved more than challenges.

"Nimbus!" he called, and his faithful cloud appeared beside him.

Goku jumped on, laughing again, "Hey guys, wait up!" he called, and rocketed off after them.

He was too caught up in his excitement about Neka to notice the power signature watching them from within the trees, and the two dark eyes glinting in the moonlight as they narrowed, and a small dark laugh echoed forth.

*.*.*.*

The next day was sign up day. Neka walked with Goku and Bulma toward the tournament grounds, her arms crossed. Goku was excited, she could feel it, but there was also a grim determination within him as well, one of the few serious moods she had ever felt from him. There were some people, but it wasn't as crowded as the city had been when they had gone clothes shopping. Rain was pouring down, and Bulma had a strange round stretch of cloth on a stick over her head to keep from getting soaked.

Neka had her Scouter on her face. Bulma had managed to repair its power reading function but it still couldn't transmit a signal yet. The screen was purple now, Bulma decided to put a new screen on it since the red one shattered, and she insisted Neka needed a different color, feminine, but strong. Neka didn't know how she chose purple to match those attributes.

"Besides," Bulma had added, when Neka noted this to her, "It's regal purple, the color of royalty!" and winked at her.

Neka decided Bulma wasn't that bad. Despite being a weakling human, she was incredibly intelligent, able to grasp intricate alien hardware within days was impressive. Hardly any of the engineers back at the space ports were as smart as she was. But Bulma still annoyed her at times. Okay, a lot of times.

"There will be more people tomorrow, I'm sure," said Bulma, "Since there's no actual fighting today."

The human girl was in a short navy blue dress and lighter blue boots on her feet that went half-way up her calves. She had on a strange red paint on her lips that she had called lipstick and had even offered some to Neka who had given her such a dirty look that Bulma put it away and did not bring it up again. Why would someone paint their face? This planet was weird.

"Where do you think the others are?" asked Goku, grinning ear to ear as he looked around. He had his own strange cloth shield in his hand, holding it over himself.

He was wearing a blue tunic and tan pants with navy blue boots.

"Probably up by the sign in stand," said Bulma, "Come on."

Goku glanced at Neka as they walked, "Neka, you're getting soaked!" he laughed.

Neka glanced at him darkly. She was in a hooded sweat shirt and another pair of those 'jeans' again, but wore the boots from her old armor. It was the only footwear she would wear, refusing to even look at the others that Bulma had bought her. She could feel the water down to her skin, but she didn't care. Even her hair, soaked to the scalp, was still standing up on end, spiked toward the stormy sky.

"It's just water," she snapped, tail flicking behind her, droplets flying from it.

"Here," Goku got very close to her as they walked, hovering the strange cloth shield over them both.

Neka grunted in annoyance when his arm pressed against hers and jumped away from him, "Stop it!" she yelled at him, making them pause in their walking, "I'm not a child! Don't coddle me!"

"But I'm not trying to say you're a child," said Goku, distressed.

"Oh stop it, you two," sighed Bulma. She was used to their bickering by now, it seemed. She pulled something from her pocket, one of her capsules, and popped it.

It was one of the cloth shields, folded up. Bulma handed Goku her own for a moment while she popped the third one open. She held it out to Neka.

"Here," she smiled.

"I don't-!" Neka began hotly, but Bulma cut her off.

"Oh take it so it will shut Goku up," she said.

Neka grunted in irritation and snatched it from her while Goku gave Bulma back her own rain shield. Holding it over her head, she had to admit it was a bit better than having the icy rain pour down on her. And, Bulma was right, it got Goku to shut up.

They continued down the path toward the entrance where the booth was for the fighters to sign up. Fewer people were here now. Neka could see a group of four on the path ahead of them, an old man in a blue suit and hat with a white beard and dark screens over his eyes in red frames. Neka wondered if these eye shielding had some sort of purpose, maybe like her Scouter. There was a female, the tallest of the group, with wavy deep blue hair and wide equally blue eyes wearing a short red dress. She was carrying a rain shield. The other two were tiny creatures, one pale pink with large floppy ears and a short snout, and an even smaller furry thing that hovered beside him, its fur a navy blue and with pointed ears and a tail, with an otherwise round body and short limbs.

Goku and Bulma seemed to recognize this group, because Bulma gasped, and called out, "Launch!" while Goku said, "Hey guys!"

The group looked at them and all smiled.

"Bulma!" said the other female.

"Wow, has it really been three years?" Bulma laughed, stopping in front of them.

Neka hung back, keeping her rain shield low over her head. More humans that she was most likely going to have to interact with and refrain from killing. She was not pleased about this.

"Who's this with you?" the female asked, looking at Goku.

Goku laughed at her, "Come on, Launch, it's me, Goku!" he said.

"GOKU?!" the entire group yelped, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah, who else but me has hair like this?" Goku said, then blinked, looking up, "Hey, the rain's letting up!"

He was right. The rain slowly pattered to a stop and the sun came through the clouds. Bulma, Launch, the little animal creatures, and Goku lowered their rain shields, folding them up.

"Wow, Goku, you've grown up!" said the old man, and then he looked at Bulma, slinking toward her, "And so have you, Bulma, that sure is a nice dress, what material is that, let me feel!" his hand grasped Bulma's ass and Bulma yelped and slammed an elbow into his face, making him stagger back.

"Hand's off, Roshi!" she yelled at him.

"Ouch…" Roshi whimpered, "You're as strong as ever."

Neka nearly scoffed at anyone calling Bulma strong. That was one word that did not apply to the human girl. Neka lowered her rain shield and looked it over, trying to figure out how to fold it up like the others had. It had a button on the side. She pressed it but nothing happened. Neka grunted softly in irritation. What sort of complicated contraption was this? She pressed the button again a bit harder. Still, nothing happened.

She heard the others chatting happily, catching up, or something. She wasn't paying attention to their exact words, too caught up in trying to figure out this rain shield.

"Neka, what are you doing?" Bulma asked, making her look up.

"This thing is broken," she stated flatly, "My rain shield won't fold up like yours."

"Who's this, then?" Launch asked, blinking at Neka.

"This is my friend, Neka!" said Goku cheerfully, walking over to Neka, who glared at him.

"I'm not your friend!" she hissed.

"Here, you're not doing it right," said Goku reaching over and putting his hands over hers.

"Don't touch me!" Neka snapped, jerking out of his grip and stepping back so fast that her rain shield fell to the ground.

Goku sighed at her as he picked it up, "I was just trying to show you!" he said, "Watch, see?"

He pressed the button on the side, and while he held it down, he slid the pole holding up the shield down toward the handle. The cloth collapsed in, folding up.

Neka scoffed and turned her gaze away from his stupid grin, feeling her cheeks heat slightly. She was a warrior yet she couldn't figure out the simplest of mechanisms? And Goku's mind could? That was a little embarrassing.

"Neka, huh?" the small pink creature said, "Well where'd you meet her, Goku?" he smirked at the boy.

"Oh, she fell out of the sky," said Goku with a smile.

"I hope these are more people we can trust and that you're not just spewing out the fact that I crashed here," Neka growled at him under her breath.

"Oh, sure, Master Roshi is my old mentor, and Launch, Oolong, and Puar are all close friends of mine!" he pointed to each of them as he named them off.

"The old man taught you how to fight?" Neka perked a brow, and pressed a finger to her Scouter, focusing on the old man, "180. That's better than the average around here but still pathetic," she said, crossing her arms.

"Hey, that's not very nice," said Launch, frowning at her, "Master Roshi is a very famous martial artist."

"Oh, it's okay, Launch!" said Roshi, laughing as he approached Neka, staff clacking as he walked, "She can say whatever she wants about me, I like them feisty!" he reached out toward her, "How about a nice warm Roshi welcome pat?"

"Master Roshi-!" Goku began, eyes wide with fright, "I wouldn't-!"

Neka's eyes narrowed dangerously, about to punch the old dirt bag off the island completely, but there were arms around her suddenly, and she was about ten feet away from Roshi and the others. Goku was holding her to his chest, almost protectively. Neka blinked. It had happened so fast! Where did Goku find that burst of speed?

"Hey!" she shouted, shoving him away from her.

Oolong was laughing, "I think I see what's going on!" he gloated.

Bulma was sighing, but smirking a bit, "No, Oolong, trust me, you don't, we'll fill you in when the others show up."

"Master Roshi," Goku laughed, looking back, "I would, uh, ask that you please, please don't touch Neka. Ever."

Roshi perked a brow, "It was completely innocent, I promise, I just wanted to greet her!" he laughed.

"No, Master, it's not that," said Goku, walking back to him, "Neka is really, really strong, and it's very easy to make her mad."

"What he's trying to say," said Neka darkly, stepping forward, crossing her arms and closing her eyes, "Is that if you touch me, I will kill you. So don't. Touch me."

Her eyes snapped open to glare at the old man and she saw him swallow.

"But…" he said softly, "Not even just a tap?"

"Roshi!" Bulma cried, "No. You disgusting old perv…"

"You all ruin my fun," Roshi pouted.

"This man was your teacher?" Neka said, glancing at Goku, who laughed again and shrugged.

"He's the one who taught me the kamehameha," he said.

"I don't believe it," said Neka, "How can he even be project energy at 180…?"

Goku glanced at her, "You know, I'm going to have to teach you how to sense energy without that Scouter thing," he laughed, "Power levels can change based on how hard you're trying, you know!"

"Whatever," Neka scoffed. She still refused to believe Goku could sense energy without a Scouter when he was so much weaker than she was.

"So where's Yamcha?" asked Launch, looking at Bulma, "We expected him to be with you, not Goku and his new friend."

"He came back to West City for a while, but then left to train by himself," said Puar in an incredibly high pitched voice.

"That's right," snapped Bulma, venom in her voice, "By himself."

"Him too?" laughed Roshi, "Krillin did the same. Ran off on his own a year ago. Hasn't come back. They've all grown up."

"Come on, Neka, let's go sign in," said Goku, grinning at her.

"Wait, you mean she's entering the tournament?" asked Oolong, eyes wide.

"Sure!" said Goku cheerfully, "I just said she was strong!"

They approached the booth where two humans sat behind.

"Name?" asked one.

"Goku," said Goku, grinning.

"Ah, yes, back again?" said the man, grinning, "You've gotten much taller since your last tournament!"

Goku beamed, "Yeah. This tournament should be just as exciting!"

"Alright, you're set up," said the man.

Neka went forward, "Neka," she said.

"Oh, you as well?" the man smiled kindly at her, "We don't get female fighters often! How do you spell that?"

Neka blinked. Spell? She didn't know this alien language or its letters. Bulma appeared at her side, grinning.

"N-E-K-A," she said swiftly.

The man nodded while Neka glanced at Bulma, narrowing her eyes.

"Alright, you're signed in!" said the man, "Just in time, we only have five more minutes until we close."

"Five minutes!" gasped Bulma, looking around, "Where are the others?"

Neka went back toward Goku, stuffing her hands in the pocket of her sweater, glowering as she leaned on the wall. Goku elbowed her, making her shoot him a glare.

"Hey, cheer up!" he said, "We get to fight tomorrow, aren't you excited?"

"Excited about having to hold back and fighting creatures not even close to worthy of me? No," she said, "But it will be better than nothing."

Goku looked at her Scouter, "So, you never told me, what's that thing say your power level is?"

Before Neka could answer, her Scouter actually flickered, picking up incoming signatures. She turned in the same instant Goku did to see four figures appear beside the check in booth. Neka had to admit their speed was decent. These had to be the other fighters that Goku had told her about.

There were two tall ones and two shorter ones. One of the tall ones had a wide brimmed hat on, and three eyes with travelling garments on. The other had a mane of black hair held back in a tie, and scars on his otherwise handsome face. The taller of the two shorter ones had on a hat with a rim sticking straight out and a jacket, he also had six uniform dots on his forehead. The tiniest one of the four had a wide rimmed hat like three eyes, and his face was pale as snow save two bright red dots on each cheek.

"They're here!" Bulma said happily.

"Hey guys!" laughed the one with the six dots on his forehead, grinning.

The four of them signed in and then turned and approached to greet them.

"You all look great!" said Goku happily, "It's so good to have everyone together again!"

"Wait, G-Goku?" the one with the six dots stammered, looking up with wide eyes.

"Hey, Krillin! You've gotten tall!" Goku said, beaming at him.

Tall? He was shorter than Neka. And that was saying something.

"Goku it really is you!" Krillin wailed and rushed to Goku, clinging to him in an excited hug. Neka could feel a disgusting softness in the Bond from Goku toward this human, "Oh I missed you! I never got the chance to thank you! They told me one of Piccolo's goons killed me, but you brought me back! Thank you so much, Goku!"

Neka blinked. Wait. What? Killed? This human had been killed but brought back to life? How? How was that possible?

"I'm glad you're back, Krillin," said Goku with a big grin, "I missed you too."

"Well why don't we all catch up with a nice meal?" said Roshi, "I made hotel reservations for us. And we can meet Goku's new friend."

All eyes went to her and Neka felt uncomfortable.

"He's not my friend," she muttered.

"Who's that, Goku?" asked Krillin.

"This is Neka," said Goku cheerfully, "But Master Roshi's right, let's get some food, I'm starving!"

Neka learned as they walked that three eyes was named Tien Shinhan. The one with the scars was Yamcha, and the smallest one was Chiaotzu. She lagged toward the back of the group, feeling irritated. How was she expected to play social with these people? But Goku told her in an undertone that it was okay if they knew she was an alien and about the Bond, though Neka didn't want to tell anyone about that part. She didn't want anyone, no matter how much Goku trusted them, to know about her greatest weakness.

Him.

So they sat in the hotel room around a large fold out table, eating the food they ordered. The largest piles of empty plates were in front of Neka and Goku. They had just sat there eating away while Bulma explained the entire story. About how Neka arrived, how the Bond happened, about her tail and how Goku was a Saiyan too. That had received collective gasps and Krillin had come around to look at Neka's tail himself. She almost slapped him with it. She noticed that Bulma left out the parts where Neka freaked out in the city, and nearly blew up the eating place the other day.

"And this all happened just a week ago?" asked Tien, leaning on the table, looking across at them.

"Yeah," said Goku with his mouth full, "Bu' it's been rea'y fun!" he swallowed and grinned, "Neka's a really strong fighter! She agreed to train me after the tournament."

"She's… going to train you?" echoed Yamcha, eyes wide as he glanced at Neka.

Neka just kept eating, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. She was angry enough. She didn't want more of their ignorant disbelief to make her really snap. She had managed to keep from snapping for almost three full days now.

"Wait, so that thing on your face can read power levels, right?" asked Krillin, looking over at Neka and grinning.

"Why?" Neka snapped.

Krillin flinched at her harsh tone, "It's just- I'm kinda curious. What are our power levels?"

Neka scoffed and took off her Scouter, handing it to Bulma, "I don't have time to amuse them, you do it," she said and went back to eating.

Bulma rolled her eyes but fastened on the Scouter and looked at Krillin, "Okay, let's see," she said, hitting the button, "200! I'm… guessing that's decent?" she looked at Neka.

Neka just scoffed as she kept eating.

Bulma sighed and went to Yamcha, "Alright, tough guy, let's see yours," she grinned wickedly at him and he blushed a bit, smiling back, "190."

"Ha!" Krillin said, smirking at Yamcha.

"Aw, that thing must be broken," laughed Yamcha.

Tien's power was 220, and Chiaotzu's was 160. When Bulma went to Goku, she blinked in surprise.

"What?" Goku said, laughing.

"I almost don't want to say," Bulma said, half laughing, "Maybe this thing is broken."

"It's 700," said Neka.

They all looked at her.

"What?" cried Krillin, "That can't be right! Is it, Bulma?"

Bulma nodded, "It's 700," she confirmed and looked at Neka, "How'd you know?"

"I checked Goku's power level first thing when you fixed that," said Neka indifferently, "After all, I need to check how strong he is so I can adequately keep him from getting killed and therefore killing me."

"Well," said Goku, laughing a bit, "That Scouter isn't exactly accurate, because power levels can change depending on how hard you're straining yourself."

"Well if that's the case," said Bulma, turning to Neka, "Let's see how hard Neka's trying!"

Neka shot her a glare, but too late, Bulma got the reading, and her face was stark with shock.

"No way," she muttered.

"What?" asked nearly everyone at the table.

It seemed everyone was desperate to see just how strong Neka was. Even if these readings were accurate, it did give them an estimate.

"Uh," Bulma swallowed, "It's eight thousand."

Silence.

Neka felt a little hot in her skin. Anger boiling up within her. Why were they surprised? They wouldn't be if she could have her way on this world, destroying everything that came her way, painting the landscapes with blood. And there were some planets where yes, that was strong, but it wasn't unheard of, like here. What would they say if she told them there were beings working for Frieza that were far stronger than her? And what of Frieza himself?

This was pitiful.

Neka reached over and snatched the Scouter back from Bulma, making her gasp, breaking the silence as she got to her feet and turned, walking toward the balcony.

"Neka!" Goku called, "Where are you going?"

"Out," Neka snapped, "And don't follow me," she glared threateningly back at him, then added, "I promise I won't kill anyone," and opened the balcony doors.

It had started raining again, and it was night, but she didn't care.

This planet, this weak, pathetic world… this was all so beneath her. She hated it.

She took off into the night, the rain whipping across her face.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:::

Okay, so I know it's always tricky with messing with power levels, so I did research to be as accurate as possible for where we are currently in the saga and such. If it's a bit off, I'm super sorry, but we'll be keeping it as is for the sake of the fic. This gives you guys an estimate of how strong Neka actually is, since I can't really show off her true strength since she Bonded with Goku. Keep in mind, these readings are of them without powering up and with Goku's weighted clothes on. It was hard to decide where to put Neka's power level for now, since no one really know what Vegeta's power level was when he was a child, and Neka's basically on par with him. I read someone's educated guess was 10,000, and someone else says 5,000, so I just kind of… guesstimated myself. This is her BASE power level without her powering up at all. Also keep in mind, this is a good six years before Vegeta even arrives on Earth, so he (and Neka of course) are not as strong as he is when he shows up there yet.

Just wanted to say that. So I don't get pounced. Or sniped. Or something. :D

Thanks again for all the reviews and reads and follows, guys. I'm so surprised I'm past 30 follows and only on chapter six! You guys are awesome! Keep it up, I love your guys' feedback!

-Red


	7. A Gift and A Smile

Goku started to get up.

"Wait, Goku, stop!" cried Bulma.

Goku looked back at her, "But I have to go after her," he said desperately.

Bulma shook her head, "I don't think she's going to do anything, Goku. She just needs some time on her own."

Goku prodded the Bond, feeling for any sign of Neka hurting anyone, but he just felt a frustrated anger coming from her, not the normal glee she got from destroying things. He tried to sense where she was and could feel that she had stopped moving a ways away. He sighed, and sat back down.

Beside him, Krillin was staring at him.

"Wow, Goku, how do you get yourself into these messes? She's a real firecracker!" he laughed, "Bulma, was her power level really eight thousand?"

Bulma nodded.

"That must be a mistake," said Tien, leaning forward, "I mean, compared to the rest of our levels on that thing, even Goku's… she's…"

"Way strong," Yamcha nodded, eyes wide.

Goku placed his head in his hands, "I knew she was strong, but when we spar, she says there's a 'cushion' keeping her from hurting me as much as she wants to."

"Not to mention she can feel your pain," said Krillin, "So, you've sparred with her?"

"Yeah," said Goku, "She's fast, and strong, incredibly so, and if that's with this Bond protecting us from one another, I can't imagine how powerful she is when there's no barrier."

"And she's going to be in the tournament?" said Yamcha, laughing nervously.

"Goku, don't you think with her temper that that might be, I dunno, a bad idea?" said Krillin.

Goku looked at him, "Not at all, fighting calms her down," he said, grinning a little, "I've had to take her out into the wastelands a few times to just let her destroy things so she wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Hurt anyone?" Chiaotzu's eyes were big.

Goku rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Well, like you saw, Neka has a pretty bad temper."

"What he means to say is that she's nearly killed innocent people a few times now," said Bulma sharply.

"Bulma!" Goku wailed, "You don't have to put it like that…"

"I do so have to put it like that, Goku," said Bulma, looking at him, "And I'll say what I said that day again, one day you won't be able to stop her. And she'll actually hurt someone. She's dangerous!"

"Goku, is this true?" asked Tien.

Goku sighed, "Well, it's true she nearly hurt a few people, but I stopped her, and I can do it again!" he said earnestly, "She listens to me."

"Barely," said Bulma.

"I won't let her hurt anyone," said Goku firmly, "I know what it takes to calm her down, so I'll just keep doing that."

"If you keep taking her out to destroy things, there's won't be anything left that's harmless to destroy," Krillin said.

"He's got a point, Goku," said Yamcha.

"This tournament will be good for her," said Goku, crossing his arms, "And once it's done and we start training, I think she'll be too busy to get angry."

"But we can't risk someone so powerful being on the brink of snapping and killing someone," Tien pressed, "If she's dangerous, we can't just let her roam around."

"What would you suggest, then?" Krillin asked, sarcastic, "We go and ask her politely not to kill anyone? And besides, it's not like we can fight her like any other enemy, for one, she's stronger than even Goku, and secondly, Goku feels any pain she does. And if she dies, he will too!"

Tien slammed a fist on the table, "There has to be something we can do!"

"Relax," said Roshi, leaning back and smiling lightly, his sunglasses gleaming, "You all need to simmer down a bit. I know this Neka seems like a threat, but I know that if anyone can handle her, it's Goku. So why don't you all just leave it to him?"

"But Master-" Tien began.

"Enough," Roshi said, more firmly this time, "I have faith that Goku won't let anything happen."

"I won't," said Goku, smiling at Roshi, "Thank you Master."

"Well, I suppose if worse comes to worse, we could just beat Goku up to distract her if she goes on a killing spree," said Yamcha.

That made them all laugh, but there was still the hint of worry in the room. As Goku went back to his and Neka's room, Krillin with him, he laid back in his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

"So, other than being linked to a crazy girl, how was your training, Goku?" asked Krillin cheerfully as he changed into some pajamas.

"It was really challenging," said Goku truthfully, "But meeting Neka made me realize I'm nowhere near as strong as I could be."

Krillin hopped onto the third bed in the room, "If that Scouter thing was right, then yeah, she's the strongest thing I've ever seen. I suppose we're kinda lucky she's Bonded to you, otherwise we might be doomed."

"What about you?" asked Goku, looking at his old friend with a smile, "You look a lot stronger. How has your training gone?"

Krillin beamed and flexed an arm, "Just wait until you see me fight! I went off on my own, like you did for the second tournament. It helped a lot. I've gotten a lot stronger!" his face fell a bit, "But if I get matched up with your girl in the first rounds, I don't think I would stand a chance if she's really that strong."

"I wouldn't worry about it," said Goku, smiling at him, "I know how she seems. But… she's still my friend."

Krillin blinked at him, "With how she acts and her nearly killing people, she's your friend?" he asked.

Goku grinned, "Yeah, I mean, you wouldn't understand, I guess," he looked up at the ceiling, "You can't feel her like I can. I know she's mean and angry, but there's something more to her than just that. I don't think she likes to show it, but I can feel it. She's very proud and determined, and she never gives up. I think that if I can just manage to make her happy… maybe she'll show her good side to everyone."

"Goku, I think you're crazy," laughed Krillin, "But I have to admit, she is pretty cute. Do you think you might be thinking about more than just her pride?"

But Goku was already fast asleep, dreaming about Neka not too far off in the rainy night.

*.*.*.*

There was a small city on the island, and despite the rain and the falling of night, some humans were still roaming about it. Neka hovered high above the center square. There was a tall building with a strange device like thing on it. She had seen something similar to it in a smaller size in the hotel room. Bulma had called it a clock. It told the time it was during the day. Bulma had started to teach Neka how to read it, but she had snapped that she didn't care, that it was useless information to her. She didn't give a shit what time it was, why would she care to know?

Neka lifted her face, closing her eyes, letting the rain run over her cheeks. Goku was asleep. She could feel the soft hum of his slumber in the back of her mind.

"Vegeta," she whispered, "If you could see me now… how disappointed would you be in me?" she clenched her fists, eyes snapping open, "But I have no choice. I'm sealed to this Goku. And I can't hurt him, or anyone while I'm here. It's for you, brother. When I see you again, all I can hope is that you'll understand…"

She missed her twin terribly. He would know what she was feeling, understand it, sympathize with it, help her feed her bloodlust. They would destroy this world, side by side, laughing at all the carnage, just like they always did. If Vegeta was here, Neka realized, he could help her subdue Goku. They could destroy this rock and leave, go to train somewhere worthy, keeping Goku under wraps until they figured out how to remove this filthy link.

And then kill him too.

But…

Neka frowned at this feeling. She didn't know… if she wanted death to Goku. She hated him, detested his idiocy and ignorance. But he had been nothing but kind to her, despite everything. Despite her nearly killing people, despite her anger toward him, her harsh words and insults. He just kept coming back, smiling, trying…

Trying to make her happy.

Could Neka really kill him for that?

The rest of this world could rot, she didn't care. She hated how weak it was, how pathetic its existence felt to her, how boring and unchallenging it was. How it limited her so much. But Goku… she didn't think she would want to see him die, Bonded or not.

He was a Saiyan after all. Could she really sit back and let one of her so diminished race die?

Neka could only imagine Vegeta's words to her. Scolding her for being soft. That even though Goku was a Saiyan, he was defective, weak, and foolish. That she should feel nothing but contempt toward him, especially for being the reason she was so limited, so trapped. But Vegeta wouldn't know, Neka thought, he wouldn't know how despite everything, her being a monster, her being impossible and angry and violent, Goku just… just kept smiling at her.

Lightning suddenly struck, and Neka blinked in surprise, flying backward instinctively as it snaked so close to her it made her hair stand on end. The lightning struck the clock tower, making huge bits of rubble scatter and rushed downward toward the yelling people below. Directly in the path of one of the massive shards of building was a child. His mother came running, throwing herself over him to protect him from the impact.

Neka felt something inside her stir at the image. A parent, risking their own life to protect their child… She didn't understand why. She had seen this before. Parents did much to protect their young. She had watched while she was the threat against the child while the parent stood before her, using their own body to shield them. So why… why did this scene move her? Her father's face flashed in her mind's eye. He would have done anything to keep her and Vegeta safe, even if it meant having them work under Frieza. His protectiveness over them showed a loyalty deeper than any other, of blood.

These humans, Neka thought, had some sense of honor.

She aimed a hand precisely, her entire thought process having only taken just a second. A thin but powerful beam of light shot out of her palm, and straight into the large rock over the mother and child. Yet at the same instant, another beam of energy shot into it as well. With the combined power, the shard was reduced to ash, raining harmlessly over the mother and child, who both blinked in surprised and looked around.

Neka, however, was not paying any further attention to them. She was looking at the figure below, who had shot the other beam, pressing a button on her Scouter swiftly.

"800…" she muttered softly, narrowing her eyes.

The man was in a white turban like hat, with large shoulder pads not unlike her old armor with white cloth strapped over them, lengthening down in a billowing cape behind him, beneath that was a deep purple jumper, and brown cloth boots. His ears were large and pointed, and his skin was a deep green.

Namekian.

Another? Thought Neka. This one was much younger than Kami. But his power was high for this world, stronger than Goku's.

"Thank you so much," the mother was telling the Namekian, smiling up at him as she got to her feet with her son.

The Namekian scowled at them, making her flinch as he turned with a flick of his cape and stalked away. Neka soared down and landed next to the mother and son, watching him go, her eyes narrowed. The mother and son yelped when she did so.

"You must have been the other one who saved us," said the mother, "Th-thank you, I didn't mean to insult your friend…"

Neka glanced at her, "What I did wasn't for you," she snapped harshly, making the woman flinch again, "And he was no friend of mine. I've never seen him before," she looked back to where the Namekian disappeared.

"M-mommy," the boy tugged on his mother's sleeve, "He looked like King Piccolo!"

"Oh, don't be silly dear," said the woman softly, "King Piccolo was defeated three years ago."

Neka's eyes widened sharply. Wait… that… that Namekian was Piccolo? She clenched her fists. Why were there Namekians here on this world? But it did explain his power. No humans seemed to be able to get as strong as Goku, a Saiyan, or this Piccolo, a Namekian.

800… that was higher than Goku's. Neka could easily finish him, but she had agreed to allow Goku to fight him. She would have to ensure that Goku won. Because if he didn't…

"Thank you again, miss," the mother said hesitantly.

Neka glanced at her once more, "I suggest you shut up. It's not too late for me to change my mind," she snarled.

Neka kicked up off the ground, flying off back toward the hotel, gritting her teeth. She could only think of one thing that made her act of mercy bubble up. This Bond, and feeling Goku's presence in her, it was making her soft. She clenched her fists. This could not continue. She was a weapon, a warrior, a monster, not a hero. But Goku…

In almost every way… he was changing her.

*.*.*.*

The next morning, Neka was awoken by Goku's happy voice.

"Neka! You came back!"

Neka blinked awake, squinting in the morning sun that streamed in through the window. Goku was sitting up in his bed across from hers, beaming at her, his wild black hair even more of a mess from sleep. In the bed on the other side of him, the human Krillin was sitting up, rubbing his eyes.

"Jeez, Goku, do you have to be so loud this early?" he complained.

"Sorry, Krillin," said Goku, laughing, and he swung his legs over his bed, looking back to Neka, "Do you feel better today?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Neka grumbled.

"Well, you were upset last night," said Goku.

"I wasn't upset," Neka snapped, rolling over, "Shut up now, I'm going back to sleep."

"But wait!" Goku pounced on her bed, making Neka grunt in irritation as he leaned over her, still smiling widely, "I have a surprise for you!"

"I don't care, get off me!" Neka shoved him off the bed, but he flipped and landed on his feet.

"I'll go get it!" he said, and rushed from the room.

Neka sat up in her bed, scowling, knowing she wasn't going to be allowed to go back to sleep. Krillin glanced at her nervously.

"Do you know what idiocy he's up to this time?" she demanded of him, making him flinch.

"H-hey, I've got no idea, Goku confuses me just as much as he does you!" Krillin laughed.

Neka grunted and slid out of her bed, "Whatever…" she went to look through her assortment of clothing from Bulma.

"So… is it really true that Goku might have been sent here as a baby to destroy the planet?" asked Krillin hesitantly.

"Not destroy, just wipe out the population," said Neka briskly, rummaging for some of the pants Bulma called 'sweats', "Saiyans are planet brokers. We wipe out the planets to sell them for profit. Or at least, that's what we've been for the past few decades…"

"What were you before?" asked Krillin.

"So much more…" muttered Neka, "We were the most feared race in the galaxy, conquering all, destroying worlds for pleasure and power… until he took notice and decided we were better suited working in his army…"

"This is the same guy that tried to kill you?" asked Krillin softly.

Neka didn't confirm or deny this, she just kept looking through her clothes.

"Back!" Goku came bursting through the door, holding a bag in his arms.

Neka turned as he dropped it on her bed and grinned at her, "Open it!" he urged.

"I don't have time for-" Neka began but Goku interrupted her.

"Just open it!"

Neka sighed, standing and going to it. She grabbed the bag's bottom and flipped it, spilling its contents on her bed.

And she gasped.

It was her armor. The blue body suit, in perfect condition, no tears or rips or even stains, and her chest piece. It was missing the shoulder pads, but instead had sturdy looking straps. There was a custom hole for her tail in the body suit. There were her white gloves too, but the fingers were missing from them.

"I know how much you were saying you just wanted your armor back," said Goku, still smiling at her, "So I asked Bulma to fix yours. She said that the shoulder pads were shattered too badly and decided to take them out of the design, and the gloves were changed because she said that they would look better that way or something."

Neka reached down and picked up the armored chest piece, completely awestruck. This was… amazing. To have her old armor back, and that he had had the human girl fix it for her, even after everything she had put him through.

Goku suddenly laughed, gleeful, "It worked!"

Neka glanced at him, puzzled.

He was beaming at her, "I got you to smile!"

Neka stood there in shock, still holding the chest piece. She had, she realized, smiled genuinely for the first time since landing on this rock. Not a smirk, but a real smile. Did he really do this just to make her do so? She was in so much shock she couldn't even think of a snide remark to shoot back at him, or even get angry. She was fathomed beyond anything.

"Go ahead and change!" Goku said happily, "I know you would have wanted to fight in your armor."

Neka looked down at the chest piece again, and finally found her voice.

"You didn't have to…" she said softly.

"But I wanted to!" said Goku, pushing her toward the wash room, "Go on, put it on!"

Neka stumbled into the wash room and Goku closed the door behind her. Putting on the armor felt so amazing. Neka felt like herself again, like she had gained back a piece of her pride. It fit perfectly, and she pulled on the gloves, though they were now fingerless, decided it was a good look. She paused, looking at herself in the mirror, and she felt that smile come back to her, but it was darker this time.

She looked like a warrior again. Brutal, something to be reckoned with.

It was the first spark of content that Neka had felt since crashing.

When she left the wash room, Goku and Krillin were both dressed, and turned to look at her.

"You look great!" said Goku, smiling widely, "Do you like it?"

Neka looked down at herself then back up at him. She felt a slight spark of irritation. Yes, she liked it, but she felt like it was weak to admit he had done her a favor. She had never thanked anyone for anything because it was never necessary for her to receive anything. And the fact that Goku did it to make her smile, to make her happy… that frustrated her as well.

"It will do," she said at last, indifferently.

But Goku was still smiling. She scowled, knowing he could feel her reaction through the Bond, and that was enough for him to know that she truly did appreciate it.

"Great!" Goku said, "Let's get going! The preliminaries are today. I'm excited!"

"Me too," said Krillin, grinning over at him, "It will be great to see how much everyone's improved."

Neka followed them out of the room and they met up with the others outside of the hotel. Bulma grinned at her when she spotted what she was wearing.

"Oh, it looks great! Those shoulder pads were really just too much, it looks much better that way," she said.

Neka folded her arms, "It will suffice. Better than the other apparel of this rock, anyway."

"You could just thank her," said Yamcha, laughing.

Neka shot him a look, "You could just keep your mouth shut," she snapped.

"Neka, easy," Goku laughed, "We're all friends here."

"I'm not any of your friends," Neka said harshly, walking toward the tournament grounds, "Let's go before I decide to start the fighting here with one of you."

As she took the lead of the group, she heard Yamcha's voice behind her whisper.

"How do you put up with her?"

It was directed at Bulma, for she answered, "It's actually quite endearing after a while, especially watching her with Goku," she paused, and then added, "I think they're good for each other."

Neka blinked, surprised at that remark, but further thought on the matter was cut off when Goku came to her side.

"So, Neka," he began.

"What do you want?" Neka growled.

Goku laughed nervously, "Well, I just wanted to, uh, remind you to watch your strength at the tournament, okay? Especially in the preliminaries, because there are only a few really strong fighters in those usually, so a lot of them will be pretty weak, and I don't want you to accidently hurt anyone."

"Tch," Neka crossed her arms, "You don't have to remind me like I'm some child misbehaving. I won't kill anyone unless I have to."

"What qualifies as 'have to'?" asked Krillin, appearing on her other side and grinning at her.

"Anything that poses as a threat to Goku's life," said Neka briskly, "I will be forced to intervene in order to keep my life intact."

She gave him a warning look, silently reminding him about the agreement they made concerning Piccolo. She wondered if she should tell him she had seen him last night, mention that his power level at base was higher than Goku's.

Goku grinned widely at her, "Don't worry," he said firmly, confidence shining through that Neka couldn't help but somewhat admire, "I won't need your help."

Neka grunted and faced forward again. Part of her hoped he was right. Another part of her wished that he wasn't, and that she would get to kill something on this rock finally.

Once in the tournament grounds, Neka and the boys entering the tournament separated from the others to head to a large building where the preliminaries were being held. Neka glanced around at all the people, pressing her Scouter button periodically. 30, 80, 25, 50, 110, 15... These readings were pitiful. It seemed that their group was the strongest here. Neka lashed her tail back and forth. She had gotten accustomed to having it out rather than wrapped around her waist all the time. On this planet, exposing it wasn't much of a liability, and she could even use it as a spare limb to do damage.

"So, when someone grabs your tail," Krillin said slowly, "Does it make your body stop working?"

"No," said Neka briskly, "I trained beyond that petty weakness when I was very young. I'm guessing Goku did not since you know of it," she glanced at the Saiyan, smirking.

"I did when I was fifteen," said Goku, grinning, "It was a lot of hard work, but it sure paid off in the end, right, Krillin?" he laughed, clapping a hand on his friend's back.

"Thought I had you that time," said Krillin, smiling sheepishly, "I guess it was too much to hope for the same weakness to work on Neka in case I get stuck fighting her."

"You wouldn't even be able to get close to grabbing it," Neka told Krillin flatly, making him pout.

Krillin, Yamcha, and Goku all changed into orange jumpers. Goku's was the only one that had a deep blue shirt beneath, heavier looking boots, and wrist bands on, Krillin and Yamcha's were plainer, sleeveless and with small cloth shoes. Tien simply wore some dark baggy pants, his chest bare, with green boots and bracers. Chiaotzu had on a black and green robe, and a hat with a red bobble on top on his head. Neka noticed that on the orange jumpsuits Krillin, Yamcha, and Goku wore, were matching symbols on the chest and a larger stamp of it on their backs. She wondered what it stood for.

"Chiaotzu," said Tien, grinning down at his little comrade, "Can you make sure none of us have to fight each other in the preliminaries?"

"Yup!" said Chiaotzu cheerfully.

"How can he ensure that?" asked Neka.

"Chiaotzu has a lot of psychic abilities," said Krillin, "They draw numbers to decide who goes into what block in the preliminary rounds, and only the top two of each block get to go on to the actual tournament since there's only eight slots for fighters. Chiaotzu can manipulate the tickets in the draw box to make sure we don't get matched up so early on."

Neka folded her arms, "I see," she said, and went back to pressing her Scouter, hoping that someone here might be even a little bit of a challenge.

35, 60, 90, 45, 210… 210? That was a bit high. Neka double took to see who gave her that reading. Across the way in the crowd there was a man in a light pink robe, but his face was partially cybernetic. The lower half of his face flesh and blood, the upper metal and bolts. He was leering toward their group for a moment before melting back into the crowd. Neka wondered who that could have been.

She went back to pressing her Scouter. 80, 65, 40, 30, 55, 800- whoa! 800?! Neka turned in the same motion as Goku.

There he was.

He was a few yards away, glaring at them, and Goku glared back, a silent message of recognition passing between the two of them. Goku had a deep determination within him, and a slight righteous anger. Piccolo. He looked the same as he had last night, the turban, the shoulder padded cape, the deep purple jumper, the green skin and pointed ears.

"Who's that?" asked Krillin, frowning at the look Goku was giving Piccolo.

Neka looked at the others, and saw Tien was staring at Piccolo in pure shock.

"No…" she barely heard him whisper, "He looks like…"

Neka glanced back at Piccolo and this time his eyes met hers. He smirked at her and Neka felt irritation hit her. What was that confidence he had? Sure, his power level was much higher than most here, but it was puny compared to her own, only a tenth of her base stat. Of course, she reasoned, he didn't know that. So she smirked back at him.

Go on, she thought, try something. You're the one thing I'm allowed to kill on this world without consequence. Just give me a reason.

But Piccolo's eyes kept flicking back and forth between her and Goku, that smirk still holding. It was too knowing of a smirk for Neka's taste, and she felt a sudden vulnerability. He may be weak compared to her, but his base stat was higher than Goku's. He was definitely a threat to the idiot she happened to be Bonded with.

No matter.

Neka would not allow him to get the chance to kill Goku. Certainly, she would allow Goku to fight against him, but if it came down to it, she would kill the Namekian before he got the chance. Simple as that. It wouldn't take much. A simple beam through the chest would suffice.

"Come on, they've started drawing numbers," said Yamcha, snapping them out of their stare off with Piccolo.

As their group got in line to get their numbers, Krillin pressed again, "Goku, who was that? Someone you know?"

Goku glanced at his friend, "No one good, Krillin, I can tell you that much," he said gravely.


	8. Preliminary Peril

Neka held her slip of paper with a frown.

"What's this symbol mean?" she asked, holding it out to Goku as they waited for Yamcha and Krillin to draw their own numbers. Tien and Chiaotzu were behind then, already having their papers.

"I think that's an eight. You're in the first block, Neka!" he grinned, "So am I, but I'm in the second half. So I guess that means we'll be the two fighters to go on from block one."

"I see," said Neka looking over as Krillin and Yamcha rejoined them, "So the little one's powers did ensure none of us had to battle before the tournament."

"You just have to listen for your number, okay, Neka?" said Goku cheerfully.

Neka looked over as Piccolo drew his number and then melded away into the crowd. She narrowed her eyes after the Namekian. She saw Goku frowning at Piccolo as well.

"Goku," she murmured softly, so only he could hear, but her voice was still firm, "He's stronger than you know, I believe. You should let me handle him."

"No," said Goku, glancing at her, "I can do it."

Neka hissed in irritation, "Look, I can't have you risking both our necks-" she began heatedly, but she was interrupted when Krillin appeared at her elbow.

"Hey, you guys aren't arguing again, are you?" he laughed.

"Would you prefer I take my anger out on you?" Neka snapped, making Krillin blanch.

Goku laughed, "Don't worry, Krillin, Neka was just frustrated that she has to wait to fight is all," he said.

Neka folded her arms. Well, he wasn't exactly lying. She wanted to take out that Namekian and be done with it now so they could just get to training. But she could feel it, deep within the back of her mind. Fighting Piccolo alone and beating him… it meant a lot to Goku. Saiyan pride, Neka thought, slightly fond for a moment, then shook herself mentally. He was a defect still. Maybe one day she could craft him into a warrior, but right now, he was fueled by childish emotions.

The fights started on the blocks, and Neka watched moodily at the pathetic excuse for combat she was seeing. The battles went by far too slowly, and her patience was running thin waiting for her turn.

Something flicked her ear and Neka whirled to see Goku smiling at her playfully, his hand still up. Anger flared in her and Neka clenched her fists.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"Yeah, Goku, teasing a lioness isn't exactly a good idea," Yamcha laughed.

"I can tell you're getting annoyed about waiting, so I gave you something else to focus on!" said Goku, beaming innocently.

"Goku, sometimes you really are a moron," said Krillin, running a hand down his face and glancing warily at Neka.

"Listen to your friends, Goku," Neka spat, "Curse or not, I can still break your bones."

Goku winced, but still was grinning, "If it keeps you from hurting anyone else, then I'll let you."

Neka folded her arms, "Your protectiveness over this world still fathoms me," she muttered.

"Number eight! Please report to block one!" a voice called over a megaphone.

"That's you, Neka," said Tien, glancing back at her from where he stood close to the edge of the platform.

"Finally," Neka breathed.

Goku grabbed her arm before she could make another move, however, "Neka, just remember, take it easy, okay?"

Neka ripped her arm away from him, and spat on the ground, "Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Goku. I won't kill anyone, I already promised that."

She turned on her heel and marched to the platform, jumping up on it and walking a few paces onto it and glaring around, arms folded. Her icy demeanor seemed to have put a lot of the fighters on edge, and they were eyeing her with worry. She was also aware some of them must have heard her words to Goku since she hadn't bothered keeping a low voice. About how she promised not to kill anyone.

Pathetic cowardly creatures, thought Neka coldly.

Her opponent, however, did not seem to think she was a threat, for he grinned at her confidently as he got onto the stage and crouched, squaring off against her. He had long blond hair and blue eyes, a pretty built body, but muscle mass didn't have anything to do with true strength.

"Listen, doll face, I'll try to go easy on you," he winked at her, "After all, wouldn't want that face messed up. That would just be a crime."

Neka's eye twitched.

"Neka, go easy!" Goku cried from the sidelines, obviously feeling her spike of anger.

Neka reached up and pressed her hand to her Scouter.

"40," she scoffed, closing her eyes, "This isn't worth my time, Goku."

"Just get him out of the ring!" said Goku, she could feel him grinning in the back of her head, "Nice and simple!"

"That you're boyfriend, huh, sweetheart?" the man asked, glancing toward Goku, "Sure looks like a punk to me, what's a beauty like you toting around with that loser?"

Neka took a deep, calming breath.

And her eyes snapped open. The look the man must have seen in them made him visibly flinch and he laughed nervously.

"Alright, fine, all business, I like that in a woman, kind of hot," he said, and the rushed toward her, "It won't hurt at all doll face, unless that's what you're into-"

His words were cut off when Neka casually back handed him as soon as he got within reach. He was sent flying across the large room and into the wall, where a few bricks crumpled and he fell to the ground, groaning. Probably with a good few broken bones. But alive.

The crowd around Neka was sitting in stunned silence, then-

"Yeah! Way to go, Neka, I knew you could do it!" Goku called, beaming.

Neka hopped off the platform as paramedics rushed to gather up her sorry excuse for an opponent. She knew he was cheering those words because she held back, not because she won. It was difficult, but Neka had barely put any force into that hit. Like swatting a fly.

Goku's friends were all staring at her with wide eyes and mouths agape as Goku clapped a hand on her shoulder.

"What was great, Neka! Just keep it toned down just like that, okay?" he said.

Neka shrugged him off, "Yeah, whatever," she snapped, folding her arms, but feeling a bit satisfied. Despite it being terribly easy, it was nice to hit someone and not get scolded like a child. To show these humans what they were dealing with.

The fights went on, and Neka got to see each of Goku's friends battle. Yamcha was powerful and finesse, if not a bit sloppy. Tien was strong and fast, his speed and precision would have been admirable if not compared to Neka's own. Chiaotzu's psychic powers confused Neka a bit, with his ability to make his opponents feel like their guts were on fire and shoot a precise beam called the Dodon Ray, and she guessed these attributes somewhat made up for his puny power level. Krillin's style was a bit like Goku's, Neka noticed, focusing heavily on endurance and power blows.

Then came Goku himself, and Neka got to see how superior he truly was compared to these humans. His battle went just as easily as Neka's own had. With his speed, he darted around his opponent and knocked him on the back of his head, making him fall unconscious instantly. No one but Neka had been able to follow his movements, and even she was impressed. For his power level, he was skilled.

Piccolo, however, was just as efficient. Neka kept an eye on his battles when she could, and he easily defeated anyone he was set against like it was nothing. Of course with a power level like his, it WAS nothing. No effort even had to be made on his part.

Neka was finishing off her fourth round by kneeing her opponent in the gut lightly and sending him falling to the ground out cold when she heard it.

Glancing up, she saw Tien was over on block 3, crouched over something small. She blinked. Chiaotzu's match had been during hers. As she was announced the winner, she went off the stage and walked over to where the others were. Even Goku hadn't stayed to make sure Neka had been careful in her match. She felt an anger in her mind that was surprisingly not her own.

"What's going on?" she asked, stopping beside him.

Goku spat the name, eyes narrow, "Tao."

Neka didn't know what he meant, and looked up on the platform to see the cyborg she had seen earlier standing there, grinning. Tien was crouched over a terribly bloodied and beaten Chiaotzu, shaking.

"You're supposed to be dead!" Tien shouted.

The robotic man laughed, his hands behind his back casually, "Science can do amazing things, Tien Shinhan. If you thought my skills were lethal before you will find that they have only increased tenfold. Chiaotzu found out the hard way."

"Oh, so you know the android," said Neka carelessly, observing the situation.

"His name is Mercenary Tao," said Goku harshly, "When I was a kid, he killed one of my friends. I thought I had killed him when defending myself against him, but I guess I didn't."

"You tried to kill someone?" Neka asked, blinking at him.

"It was an accident," admitted Goku, "He threw an explosive I me, I kicked it back. It blew up, and when the dust cleared, he was gone. I thought it turned him into dust."

"Naïve, as always, it seems," said Neka with a scoff.

Tien was holding Chiaotzu in his arms now, looking up with anger in his three eyes at the android.

"What do you want now?" he demanded, "Why have you returned?"

"Isn't it obvious?" said Tao, hands clasped behind his back, "Little Goku was the reason my life fell into pieced like my body. I want revenge, an eye for an eye, if you will," his strange goggle like eyes set on Goku, retracting slightly, "I can kill you now, or crush you in the ring, your choice. And then, after that," he looked down at Tien again, "I will deal with you, Shinhan. Traitor."

"I did not betray Master Shin," Tien said sharply, "I served him loyally. Until I discovered that I do not share his ideals."

Tao chuckled darkly, "Your fate has been sealed."

Tien glared up at him, shaking slightly, "So be it," he said, "I'll fight you. For Chiaotzu."

Tao laughed heartedly at that, "You still haven't changed, you still have a big mouth," he said carelessly, "I'll gladly shut it."

With that, he turned and walked off stage. The paramedics came and gathered up Chiaotzu. Tien got up shakily to let them pass, and clenched his fists, "I'll make him pay for that…" he muttered darkly.

"Hey, come on, Tien," Yamcha beckoned him, "It's not worth fighting him now, you can get him back in the tournament."

Tien stepped off the stage and watched Chiaotzu being carried off with mournful eyes, "He better be okay," he muttered, "Or I'll kill Tao. I swear I will."

Neka watched him with an amused smirk on her face. He spotted this and scowled at her, "Why are you smiling?!" he demanded.

Neka chuckled and turned away, "Your kind is very interesting, very submissive to petty emotion. It makes you reckless and sloppy in battle. You're willing to murder for your friend's sake. Noble, some may call it. Myself? I call it foolish to only kill on those standards and those standards alone. But then again, I have no friends."

"That's not true Neka," said Goku sharply, looking at her, almost scolding, "I'm your friend."

"We've been over this, defect," Neka snarled at him, "No, you're not."

Goku crossed his arms, "And we've been over how caring for someone isn't a weakness. It gives us strength to fight for those we love. And I know there's someone you care for, Neka, you think about him a lot."

Neka rushed forward, snatching the front of his shirt, "Have you been spying in my head again?!" she demanded.

Goku grabbed her wrist, his face remaining hard, "Whoever it is that you think about, you fight for him, right? So why is it wrong for us to fight for those we care about?"

Neka shoved him away from her, disgusted, "Because nothing you could have gone through with any of these piss ants could have been anything near what we've been through," she said darkly.

"Number fifty-seven to block one!" called a voice.

"That would be you, defect," Neka spat, turning away from him, refusing to look at his face any longer.

As Goku retreated to the first stage, the others looked at her warily.

"You know, I can't imagine what you've been through," said Krillin hesitantly, "But Goku is doing everything he can just to make you happy. So why don't you cut him some slack?"

"I'm going to cut something if you speak to me again," Neka snapped at him, making him flinch.

"But Krillin's right," Yamcha pressed, "Bulma told me about how Goku has done everything revolved around you the past few days. Why can't you just see that we're not your enemy here?"

Neka clenched her fist, storming away to watch Goku's fight. She was sick of their soft words, of their stupid emotional drabble. Neka didn't do friendship. She wondered what the hell it would take to get that through their thick skulls. Idiots.

Neka stepped back into the ring after a few minutes. It was winding down to only a handful of fighters. This was the last battle to determine who was going on to the semi finals in the tournament itself. She herself had sent several people off on the stretchers with the medics. Every one of her fights so far had only taken seconds each for her to ring out her opponents.

As she crossed her arms, waiting for her opponent, she glanced over to see Goku looking at her warily. But when their eyes met, he put on a soft smile and gave her a thumbs up. Over their argument already? This boy seemed incapable of keeping her in a negative light no matter how hard she tried.

Neka hated him sometimes. A legitimate burning hatred. But other times, when she looked at him and saw that smile… she felt her cold heart shake a bit in confusion. Why? Why was he so nice to her?

Looking forward, Neka saw her opponent step onto the stage. It was a big man, tall with deep tanned skin and a huge afro of black hair. He wore a brown tank top and baggy white pants with black boots, and he pointed at Neka, laughing in a big wild laugh that made her perk a brow.

"Alright, little lady, I've seen you putting up quite the fight, but I hate to tell ya that it all ends now! You had the unfortunate luck to be placed in the ring with Hercule Satan! And I may not be champ yet, but it's only a matter of time, sister!" he bellowed in a very loud, confident voice.

Neka pressed her Scouter, "110. At least you broke 100," she said carelessly, crossing her arms and closing her eyes, "Still so puny though."

"Fight!" called the official.

Hercule let out wild cry as he rushed at her. He was so loud it was more than easy for Neka to track his movements. She didn't even open her eyes as she arced up a kick that sent him sailing clean off the stage and into the wall. She turned on her heel and hopped off the stage as the official called, "Number eight goes to the semi finals!"

"Great job, Neka," said Goku, grinning at her as she landed beside him.

"Tch, he was pathetic," she muttered.

Krillin laughed, "Yeah, like a joke like that could ever become World Champion!"

The matches continued, and the eight fighters in the semi finals were finally determined. Neka, Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo, Tao, and a strange little man named Hero. The last one confused Neka. She had watched his battle with a masked plump man, and her Scouter did something odd.

When Hero tripped clumsily while rushing his opponent, and caught himself before he fell, he started to straighten up, but he had been conveniently been just beneath the other man. His head slammed into his opponent's chin so hard it had knocked the man out of the ring. In the instant that Hero's head connected, Neka's Scouter blipped. It had been reading Hero's power level as 10, pitiful even for this planet, but in that split second, it had skyrocketed to 300.

Neka had smacked her hand against her Scouter a few times to see if it was jammed or something.

"What's up?" Goku had asked.

Neka had scowled, "I think Bulma must have made a mistake in fixing the Scouter," she muttered, "There's no way that was right…"

"Bulma's inventions have never malfunctioned before," Yamcha had said, "Why, what happened?"

Neka shook her head, "Don't worry your little mind about it, human," she had said.

Now, the eight of them stood to draw numbers once again to see who would be paired with whom in the actual tournament. There was no Chiaotzu with them this time to determine what they picked. This time, it would be completely random. Neka glanced at Goku, then Piccolo, wondering what she would do if she was matched with either of them.

A blond man with sunglasses and a mustache came to them, smiling, "Alright, fighters, ready to draw the lots? When I call your name, please step forward to draw your number."

He paused, looking at Krillin. His face seemed to go pale.

"Hello again!" said Krillin cheerfully, waving.

The man yelped in pure shock, "Y-you! But- I- I- I saw you die!" he wailed, "Oh are you here haunting me?! I did everything I could, but that monster- it was just-!"

"Oh, stop it!" laughed Krillin, "I'm not a ghost! I just came back to life!"

Neka looked at him. That was second time that was mentioned. He said it so casually. Didn't he understand coming back to life was ludicrous? She would have to ask about that whole business. If Krillin really did die, who the hell had the power to bring someone back from the dead?

The blond man recovered surprisingly well, and they began to draw numbers.

Krillin went first, and he got the number five.

"Goku!" the man called.

Goku pulled number three.

"Tien Shinhan?"

He pulled number two.

"Hero!"

Who received number eight.

"Yamcha!"

He got number four, placing him with Goku.

"Aw man," Yamcha muttered when he got back, "I was hoping to at least stand a chance to get passed round one this time."

"Tao."

Mercenary Tao retrieved number one, placing him with Tien. He turned to smirk at the three eyed man as he returned to the lineup. Tien remained stone faced, determination plain in his eyes.

"Neka!"

Neka looked up and walked forward, reaching in to grab her slip. She pulled it out and handed it to the man without looking at it. She couldn't understand the symbols anyway.

"Oh!" the man blinked and opened it, "You're number six! That places you with Krillin!"

Krillin flinched visibly, "Oh no way, you gotta be kidding me!" he wailed, "Yamcha, I'll trade you. At least Goku will be gentle."

Yamcha laughed, "Luck of the draw, man."

"Junior!"

Piccolo stepped forward. Neka guessed he was under the false name to keep his true nature a secret. After all, she was sure that if his father, who bore the same name, tried to take over this world once and nearly succeeded, that his name would be quite infamous.

Piccolo drew the last number available, seven, placing him with Hero.

"Alright!" said the blond man cheerily, "The matchups are as follows. First match is Tien Shinhan versus Tao. Second match is Goku versus Yamcha. Third match is Krillin versus Neka. Fourth match is Hero versus Piccolo. The first match will be in a half hour, so feel free to grab something to eat or sit back to relax, and good luck!"

Neka cast one final glance as Piccolo, who was smirking at Goku confidently. Goku was grinning back, eyes set in determination.

"Let's get going," said Yamcha, "I'm sure the others will want to know about what happened."

Their group left the building, save Tien, who wanted some time alone to meditate. The crowd had dispersed quite a bit, and the sun was beginning to set. The fights had taken up all day. Neka thought dryly about if she had been able to fight every single weakling in there herself, she would have finished within an hour through the ring outs. Less than a minute if she were allowed to kill.

Roshi, Bulma, Launch, Oolong, and Puar were waiting for them on the path.

"It's a shame Chiaotzu could not be with you, but you all did well," Roshi said.

"Yeah, we went with him to the hospital," said Bulma, "He was still unconscious when we left, but it doesn't look like he has any broken bones."

"That's good, I'm glad he wasn't too seriously injured," said Yamcha, "But what really concerns me is the guy who did it."

"You've heard of him, Master," said Krillin, "He's the Crane Hermit's younger brother, Mercenary Tao."

"What?!" Roshi yelped, "But Goku! I thought you destroyed him!"

"So did I, but he was rebuilt as a cyborg," said Goku, frowning.

"And what's worse is that he's back to kill Goku and Tien!" said Yamcha, "And Tien is matched up with him in the first match!"

"This is grave news," said Roshi, "Tien is from the Crane School, and Tao will know all of his techniques. Tien will be at a disadvantage."

"I wouldn't worry about it," said Goku with a grin, "There's no way Tao could beat Tien."

"I wouldn't count on it."

They all turned to see a man standing not too far away, his bluish gray hair flipped up on either side of his head almost like wings, a strange hat with a long necked bird head on it, and green robes with a symbol stamped on the front.

"Master Shin!" gasped Krillin, "The Crane Hermit!"

Shin chuckled at them, sunglasses gleaming, "I can't wait to see your disappointment when my brother wins."

"What are you doing here?" Roshi demanded heatedly.

Neka glanced from one old man to the other, narrowing her eyes.

"Take my advice, Roshi," snapped Shin, "Gather up your boys and get off this island, because you're going to lose."

Neka felt irritation flicker in her, "Shut up," she snapped.

Shin looked at her, still smirking, "And who's this? Another member of your pathetic band of soft hearts? Judging by her outfit, she's not like the other two women you keep around."

Neka's tail flicked behind her, "I thought I told you to shut your mouth," she said darkly, glaring at him, "Your voice annoys me. If you think that scrap of bolts is a warrior, then you're an idiot," she folded her arms and smirked, "You know nothing of true strength, old man."

Shin laughed, "What is this, some little girl who believes she's better than everyone? Do you even know who my brother is? He's Mercenary Tao, he's the world's most notorious assassin! Nothing can defeat him!"

"Except Goku," said Neka, still smirking, "When he was a child, even."

Shin finally scowled at her, and Neka felt a pleasure of victory go up her spine.

"Neka, that's enough," said Goku softly, glancing at her.

"What? He's a foolish old man that has misplaced confidence. Best he figure it out now," said Neka harshly.

"I'm going to agree with your girl on this one, Goku," said Roshi, looking at Shin, a scowl under his beard, "We aren't leaving this island for you or anyone, Shin! So get lost!"

"Hm!" Shin turned on his heel, but cast back one final smirk, "I only hope to see the look on your face, bitch, when Tao takes out your precious Goku's heart and shows it to you!" and he walked away laughing.

Neka was shaking in anger.

"Neka, don't listen to-" Goku began.

"Since when is Goku my 'precious'?!" she cried, interrupting him, then looking at Roshi, but pointing at Goku, "And since when am I HIS girl?!"

Krillin laughed, "Of course she would be mad about that, not the fact that Shin threatened that Tao was going to rip your heart out, Goku."

Goku sighed, but smiled lightly, "Neka doesn't get upset over empty threats," he pointed out, "But she seems to get mad about some other silly stuff."

"It's not 'silly'!" Neka snapped at him, "It's bullshit!"

"You know, Bulma, you were right," said Yamcha, grinning, "This is pretty amusing watching them."

"Keep on smirking, scar face, see what happens," Neka threatened in a low growl.

"Attention all fighters! The first match is about to begin! Please gather in the tournament building!" a voice called over some speakers.

"Well, looks like it's time to see if Crane Hermit was bluffing or not," said Krillin.

Goku beamed, "I'm not worried. Tien is a good fighter. Come on!"

"Good luck, guys!" called Bulma, "Oh, and Neka, too, I guess, but I don't think she needs it."

"You'd be correct, I don't," said Neka breezily.

"Just remember your training," said Roshi.

The four of them left, heading back to the building where they drew their numbers. It was just behind the tournament's main stage, and a crowd had already gathered back around it, cheering, loud, pulsating. Neka was glad they could be in the back behind a large wall with a split in the center that led out onto the stage instead of with all the people.

As they made their way, Neka pulled Goku back, letting Yamcha and Krillin go ahead.

"Listen to me, Goku," she said, looking at him, "Piccolo's power level is one hundred over yours. You know I'm going to be facing him after I defeat your little friend. I could end it easily."

"Neka, you promised you would let me face Piccolo," said Goku, eyes hard.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Neka demanded, "He's stronger than you."

"I can beat him."

"Goku, this isn't just about you," Neka snarled, and shoved a thumb to her chest, "You're risking my life too."

"You promised."

"Goku!"

"Neka, I know I can do it," Goku said softly, staring at her, "And you know I can too."

With that he walked around her to catch up with the others. Neka stood there, slightly stunned. What did he mean by that? How could she know? She was the one telling him to let her do it, let her kill Piccolo so he wouldn't have to fight, to keep him, and therefore her own skin, safe.

"Neka, you coming?" Yamcha called.

Neka turned and followed, tail lashing behind her. Goku didn't make any sense. What had he meant?

AUTHOR'S NOTE:::

You guys continue to amaze me! Thanks so much for the support. We're finally getting into the tournament! Thanks to all of you for the awesome reviews and the new favorites and follows. As you can see, I've changed up the canon line up for the tournament matches since Chichi isn't in this fic, and I felt like it would be a waste to pair Neka off with Goku. I also put Hercule in for comedy's sake, I am fully aware he wasn't there in canon. It should be pretty hilarious when he meets Neka again in the Cell saga and remembers that girl that kicked his ass with one hit.

Keep up the awesome reviews guys, and, as always, thanks a ton for reading!

-Red


	9. Holding Back

Goku grinned as he pulled himself onto the wall and sat cross legged atop it. On the stage, Tien Shinhan and Mercenary Tao were squaring off against one another. Goku could tell that Krillin and Yamcha were nervous about the fight, but Goku didn't have a worried bone in his body. He had fought Tien Shinhan before. He knew Tien was a great fighter. Flying up to hover so she could see over the wall beside him was Neka. Goku glanced at her to see she had a hard look on her face. A cold gleam in her dark eyes as always. Goku wanted to see her smile again like she had this morning.

He had felt her icy presence in the back of his mind soften just a bit when she smiled. And it had done wonders for her face. Though it was always kind of nice to look at, when she smiled, it transformed it. Her frigid dark features had lit up, the shadows in her eyes lifting, the harsh knit of her brows softening, that nearly ever present scowl slipping away. Goku wondered why he thought of her like this. He had never looked at any other girl and found them amazing to look at like he did when he was high in the sky on Nimbus, looking across the ocean and sky, with the sun making the clouds bleach red and purple and gold.

Nature did that. Goku would find his breath taken away sometimes at the landscapes he's seen. He loved this world for it. And for the first time, there was a person who gave him that same feeling. What did that mean? It was weird. But oh well, Goku thought cheerfully, Neka was a mystery and adventure in every way, much like the world he found beautiful. Maybe that was why. In any case, he wanted to make her smile like that again.

"What are you staring at?" Neka suddenly snapped, making Goku jump so violently he nearly fell off the wall.

He laughed nervously, "Nothing!" he said, grinning at her, then looking back at the stage, "This is just going to be a really good fight!"

"Tch," Neka snipped, crossing her arms, "Hardly. Three eyes' power level is much higher than bolts over there. This will be over quickly."

"I hope you two are right," said Krillin, frowning toward the two fighters on the stage.

"Fight!" called the announcer as he hopped off the platform to give Tien and Tao room.

But no fighting happened. The two of the just stood there, facing one another, Tien's posture in a perfect set of defense, Tao crouched at the ready. The minutes began to tick by, with them staring one another down.

Goku could feel the nagging impatience of Neka growing and he glanced at her, seeing her eyes narrowed to harsh slits.

"It's been ten minutes," said Yamcha, looking out from the gap in the wall, "Tien can't make a move!"

Goku looked forward, smiling, "It's Tao who can't move," he said, and knew it to be true.

He could see it in Tao's posture, in the lines on the lower still human half of his face. He had fought Tao before, he knew how the man reacted and fought, knew how his body moved, the pattern of his breathing. Tao may be part robot now, but he hadn't changed much.

But, then, quite suddenly, Tien gasped and lowered his defense, looking out toward the crowd. Goku perked a brow, and followed his gaze, seeing he was looking at Shin who stood in the midst of the people, smirking at him. He knew Shin had the ability to speak telepathically like Tien and Chiaotzu did. The Crane Hermit must have said something to unnerve his old student.

Tao took full advantage, rushing toward Tien with a battle cry, arm back to make a blow. But Tien's three eyes flicked back to him, and in a heartbeat he disappeared from sight, moving so fast that it wasn't possible for the naked eye to follow. However, Goku's senses could track Tien's movements despite them being so inhumanly fast. He felt Tien dodge swiftly to the right, letting Tao's attack cut through thin air, then he bounced back, smacking the back of Tao's neck with the side of his hand with fierce precision, but Goku could also tell that Tien was holding back.

Even still, Tao fell face forward onto the ground, and the crowd gasped and cheered. Goku smiled. Tien had gotten a lot stronger. It would be good to fight him again. Last time, it had been a very close match, but Tien had still won the tournament. It was one of the hardest battles Goku had ever fought.

Beside him, he heard Neka scoff slightly.

"He just knocked him down? He's stronger than that, why is he playing around?" she muttered.

"He's not playing, Neka," said Goku, still smiling, "You can see it in his eyes. Tien's actually holding back for Tao's sake."

"What do you mean?" Neka asked bluntly.

"Watch," Goku nodded toward the fight.

Tao struggled to his feet, scowling, "That was a lucky shot!" he spat, then, regaining some composure, he smirked, "Tien… well done. You've improved a little, you're no longer tripping over your own feet," he laughed, but was still rubbing the back of his neck.

Tien glared at Tao silently. Goku grinned. Tien had changed a lot from the last tournament when they fought. He was calm and almost stoic now, versus then when he was arrogant and angered quickly, while shooting back stinging remarks to anyone who tried to insult him. He really had become a better person. He glanced at Neka, and felt hope that she too could change like that one day. He wanted to see that smile come easier.

"Seeing as you've grown up," Tao drawled, flipping his braid behind his back, "I no longer have to hold back!" then with a cry he rushed forward, jumping into the air and spinning in for a precise kick.

Tien's arm snapped up so fast to meet it and block the attack that the recoil sent Tao spinning backward through the air where he landed roughly on the ground again. Goku could see Bulma, Puar, Roshi, Oolong, and Launch, (who must have sneezed because her hair was blonde now), cheering wildly in the crowd. He smiled, crossing his arms. It was easy to see who was the superior fighter here. He couldn't wait to fight Tien again.

Tao propped himself up, growling in rage. Neka scoffed next to Goku.

"I fail to see how toying with the stupid bucket of rust is getting anywhere. He could easily win this match if he tried," she muttered.

"There's more to it than that, Neka," said Goku.

On Tao's next charge, Tien narrowed his eyes and spoke before he could reach him.

"Wait a moment, there's something I need to say."

Tao stopped, landing and his mechanical eyes glinting in the sun, "It's too late to beg for mercy weakling!" he cried.

"Seriously, just let me go in there and I'll end this," Neka growled under her breath, "It's painful to see how misplaced his confidence is, someone needs to show him that he's hardly stronger than a slug."

"Just wait," said Goku soothingly.

Tien was looking at Tao with a glint of pity in his eyes. He bowed his head slightly, "I'll forgive what you did to Chiaotzu. Stop this madness."

Tao smiled, laughing slightly, "Don't act like you're in control of this situation! You're just scared!"

"You're mistaken," said Tien as he practically vanished from sight with his sheer speed, reappearing behind Tao, almost casually, and continued his statement, "I've grown much stronger than you realize."

Tao yelped and jumped away, turning to face him, crouched defensively, "Don't talk behind my back, coward!" he spat, "YOU think you're stronger than ME? Ha! I'll enjoy taking you down, Tien."

"Sir," Tien sighed, looking at him with a furrowed brow, "I didn't ask for any of this. I take little pleasure in fighting you."

Tao grunted in irritation. Neka did as well. Goku glanced at her and felt her annoyance plain in the back of his head as she narrowed her dark eyes with distaste.

"He wanted to kill him earlier for injuring his little companion, but suddenly he's being merciful. For what purpose? Just end it," she murmured.

"Sometimes it isn't all about fighting, you know," said Krillin.

She shot him a glare that made him flinch. Goku smiled apologetically at him before Tao's voice returned him to the fight.

"Very funny, Tien," he said, and laughed, "Hilarious! You're arrogance has just sealed your fate! NOW DIE!" he rushed forward, and began a frenzied assault of precise and controlled moves, kicks and punches that blurred with practiced easy.

And every single one of these blows was dodged by Tien. They went on like this for a while, Tao's movements getting more and more wild out of desperation, but not once was he able to land a single hit on Tien, he didn't even manage to go fast enough to make Tien block instead of dodge.

"This is pathetic," Neka spat, "It's a waste of time, what is three eyes waiting for? Get it over with already!" she called the last part and Goku frowned at her.

"Neka, this is Tien's fight, let him handle it," he said.

"Well he's proving just how pitiful humans truly are. There's no room for mercy in battle, there is only strength and victory. Right now all he's showing is weakness in allowing this to continue. We all know he has the power to end it, so why does he let it go on?"

"Because I think Tien feels bad for Mercenary Tao," said Yamcha slowly, "I mean, think about it. He used to be his mentor. Tao trained Tien when he was younger. He must still feel some sort of respect toward them for it. So he's trying to reason with him."

"It's idiotic," spat Neka.

"Well I'm sure your world had some customs we would find strange," said Yamcha, glancing at her, "But we wouldn't judge you for it."

"My world is gone," Neka said darkly, "The only customs were of battle, and that we Saiyans carry with us in our strength. Nothing else is needed, and there's no room for petty emotion on the battlefield. It would only get you killed."

Finally, the dodging frenzy stopped when Tien caught Tao's wrist, his face hard. Tao strained to get out of his grip, but found no purchase. Tien was too strong for him.

"Try to understand," said Tien, "What I'm about to say to you is out of concern, not disrespect. You and you're brother taught me how to fight, and I am grateful for your guidance. I do not wish to see you lose in disgrace."

"You've got to be kidding me," Neka grumbled, crossing her arms.

"Leave the ring," Tien said, "Now."

Tao let out a furious roar, "I'LL RIP YOUR EYES OUT!" he pulled back his other hand, making to jab forth, but Tien swiftly twisted the arm he held behind Tao's back.

"Then we'll do this the hard way," he sighed, "Move."

He pushed, and began to literally walk Tao toward the edge of the ring, making his old mentor wail in pain with each step. It was like he was escorting him off the stage.

"That's more like it," Neka said, "About damn time."

Tien had Tao up to the edge, where Tao managed to stop, trying desperately not to be pushed off, yelping in protest. Then, there was the sound of metal, and the forearm that Tien was gripping detached completely and Tao flipped back over Tien's head, and landed back in the middle of the stage. There was a slot in the metal stump of his arm, and a long blade unsheathed from it, glinting in the sun. Within the same heartbeat, Tao jumped forward, and slashed the blade across Tien before he had the time to dodge. Goku gasped, his confident smile falling.

"Possession of a knife by Tao! The rules forbid any use of weapons, the winner by default is Tien Shinhan!" the announcer cried.

"OH SHUT UP!" Tao screamed at him, "I don't care about your stupid match! As long as I can kill Tien Shinhan!"

Tien's shirt was slowly soaking in blood from the cut across his chest. He clutched his wound, glaring at the ground, his lower two eyes cast in shadow, his face set in rage.

Goku heard Neka chuckle softly beside him, "Now this is more like it."

"You mean you're enjoying this?" Yamcha demanded.

Neka glanced at him, smirking, "Compared to the pathetic excuse for fighting the android was putting up before? Yes, you could say I'm amused. Things always get interesting when blood is drawn."

"You are defeated, just admit it!" laughed Tao, crouching.

Tien let out a yowl of anger, ripping his bloodied and tattered shirt from his torso and glaring at Tao, "What little respect I had left for you has just turned to pity!" he spat, "You have no honor!"

"Oh, 'honor' is it?" Neka laughed, actually making Tien shoot her a glare too, "He's trying to kill you, there doesn't need to be honor in that."

"I'd be more than happy to lend a hand," snarled Yamcha, beginning to step forward.

"We can take him together, Tien!" Krillin agreed.

"No," snapped Tien angrily, "All of you stay back. I can take care of this myself."

"Stop, the match is over, you can't kill each other!" cried the announcer desperately.

"Shut it!" Tao snapped at him, "You're next!"

The announcer flinched and scurried away.

Goku frowned at the predicament. He had confidence that Tien could handle this, but he was worried by Neka's reaction to it. She was pleased rather than disgusted or outraged by Tao's actions like the rest of them. Once again, Goku found himself wondering what kind of person Neka was really. How many people had she killed in cold blood? How many innocent lives had she ended with a smile on her face? Could he really change her like he was trying? Was it possible?

Yes, he thought harshly, it had to be. Tien had changed, and Tien used to be a killer like her. And right now, he was facing part of his past, standing up for the better person he had become. Goku had to believe that one day, Neka would change too. But for now, she was grinning darkly at the sight of Tien's blood spattering on the stage floor.

Tao charged at Tien. Goku was aware that he had said something, but hadn't caught the words, too carried away with thoughts about the girl at his side. Now, Tao lunged, his dagger making to penetrate Tien's heart, but in a blink, it was stopped, Tien had caught the blade in his hand. Tao yelped in shock.

"I hope you didn't pay a lot for this toothpick," Tien snarled, and snapped it clean off Tao's stump of an arm, tossing it aside.

"Tch," Neka, crossed her arms, closing her eyes, "Even when the scrap pile is trying to kill him, three eyes is still holding back," she smirked and reopened them, their dark irises glinting in the sunlight, "The people of this world are so amusing."

Tao jumped backward, gaining distance between them again, teeth grit, "You think I would be defeated so easily?" he gloated.

"Face it Tao!" Tien shouted, "This fight is over!"

Tao's remaining mechanical hand detached, and the barrel of a gun was revealed. Goku blinked, sensing a small spark of energy there.

"I've been dying to use this all day," Tao murmured, grinning, "Super Dodon Ray. Its capabilities are far beyond the original, it incinerates anything it touches. I've adjusted it to your biological signature. No matter where you go, it will track you. There is no escaping your death, Shinhan!"

"A lot of talk for a pea shooter," Neka called, smirking.

"Shut up, bitch," Tao snapped toward her, "You and your boyfriend are next!"

"What does he mean by that?" Neka demanded, "'Boyfriend', what is that term?"

"I dunno," said Goku truthfully, "I guess I'm a boy, and I'm your friend."

"I'm not your-!" Neka began, but Tao's arm canon began to charge, making her Scouter blip at her. She pressed a hand to it and frowned, "His power level just jumped to 200. Three eyes might have a problem," she smirked again.

"Tien, get out of there!" Krillin called.

"Go ahead!" Tien barked at Tao, "I'm not afraid!"

Goku felt shock come through the Bond as Neka's Scouter beeped once more.

"Three eyes' power is increasing too… how is he…?" she trailed off, staring.

Goku grinned a bit. Tien wasn't in any danger, he knew, and Neka was finally understanding how unreliable her gadget was.

The blast fired. Everything was bathed in a brilliant white blue light, and screams and cries came from all around. Goku felt Tien's power signature spike as the blast reached him, and everything was too bright to make out any details for a moment. Finally, the power faded as well as the blinding light, and revealed Tien standing in the center of the stage, smoke rising around him, but looking completely unharmed. Tao yowled in shock.

"Impossible! How are you still alive?! The Ray was flawless! I had you locked on!" he was crying.

Tien darted forward with immense speed, and slammed a punch into his gut. Tao could only let out a squeak of pain before falling face forward, out cold.

"Psha!" Neka scoffed, crossing her arms, "His power level jumped to 570! He could have ended that whenever he wanted to, what was the point in wasting all that time?"

The crowd went wild. As the announcer once again declared Tien the victor, Tien knelt and tossed Tao over his shoulder, heading for the crowd where Master Shin was cowering. He gently laid Tao's unconscious body over the wall, looking at his old mentor with sad eyes.

"He'll be out like this for a few days," he said softly, "Please take him home. And never show your faces around me again."

Shin grit his teeth, looking suddenly infuriated as he gathered up his brother and took off into the sky, calling, "Shinhan, you filthy traitor, you will not die peacefully, I assure you!"

As he vanished into the sky, Tien headed back toward them, his face solemn. Goku frowned slightly, concerned for his friend.

"You did great, Tien," he said, jumping down from the wall to greet him, Neka landing lightly at his side.

"Thanks," Tien muttered.

"I was impressed!" Krillin said excitedly, "They way you handled that ray was-"

"That's enough," Yamcha rested his hand on Krillin's shoulder as Tien vanished into the building, "He needs to be left alone."

"Besides," said Neka, stepping forward, "Isn't it you and Goku next?"

"It is," said Yamcha, grinning at Goku, "It's been a while since I went one on one with you."

Goku beamed, "It has! I don't think we've really fought since we first met in the dessert! This will be really fun to see how much you've improved."

"Well just make it quick," Neka snapped, "I don't want to sit around for ages like the last match. Besides, my turn is next," she cast a smirk at Krillin who swallowed nervously.

Goku smiled encouragingly at his old friend then turned to step out into the ring as the announcer called for him and Yamcha. It had been a long time since he fought with the once dessert bandit. He was excited to see how much of a challenge he would be now. But as he stepped out onto the stage, he saw Piccolo hovering over the building, smirking down at him.

He looked away, not wanting to lose his focus for the current match, but he couldn't help but realize there was a much greater challenge than Yamcha or even Tien waiting for him at the end of this tournament. He remembered Neka warning him about Piccolo's power level on her Scouter was higher than his. If that was true, than he would just have to try even harder than he had already planned on.

And even after Piccolo, Goku remembered with a small thrill in his gut, there was another much greater challenge for him. He saw her scowling at him right now from the gap in the wall beside Krillin, her arms crossed, her tail twitching behind her, the lights on the screen of her Scouter going nuts as she tried to pinpoint his power level.

Neka.

*.*.*.*

The Saiyan princess furrowed her brow as Goku and Yamcha squared off. Both were grinning at one another, but she could see the slight worry in Yamcha's face, and feel the confidence pulsating off of Goku in the back of her mind. She knew who was going to win this match, it was obvious, but she still was interested to see how it would play out regardless.

Neka took readings of their power levels. Yamcha's was at 190, same as the read Bulma had received the other night, and Goku's was at his standard base 700. The difference in the levels here were vast, and it was most disappointing how weak the beings of this world were. She wondered how Goku was going to handle this. From what she had seen of him, he would most likely hold back out of concern for his friend. Pathetic.

"Fight!" the announcer called.

Goku grinned, crouching as Yamcha rushed at him, fist held back. Once again, Neka was seeing the same display she had when the human fought in the elimination rounds. Fast and honed, but still sloppy in her critical eyes. Goku easily met his attack, blocking the kick and the punch, then rushing in and connecting his own kick to the side of Yamcha's face.

Yamcha was sent skidding across the stage, but he rolled swiftly and got back to his feet and bounced back, a cry of effort on his lips. She felt a small prick of pleasant surprise come from Goku in the Bond. He was pleased that his kick, though powerful, hadn't rung out his friend. He was just like any other Saiyan, despite the defects, he craved challenges.

But it was still rather obvious that Yamcha wasn't a match. They went across the stage in a brawl, their movements too fast for most of the weak audience to see, but Neka, and even Krillin beside her, were following each move. Yamcha only landed a fraction of the hits he was dealing out, and even when they did connect, Goku only flinched a bit, never losing his balance or being sent crashing to the ground like Yamcha did when Goku's own attacks landed.

"At least they're not just staring at each other," Neka muttered, "Or doing nothing but talking."

"You mean you're not even the least bit impressed?" asked Krillin, "Goku's improved so much! I can't believe how fast he's moving! And Yamcha's keeping up!"

Neka checked her Scouter again and snorted, "Well, I can hardly be impressed when your friend with the scars only increased his power level by seventy five while Goku's hasn't budged."

Goku landed another precise punch, sending Yamcha a few feet away, and grinned at him, "Wow, Yamcha, I'm impressed, you've really improved!"

Neka could feel that Goku meant those words. There wasn't a trace of sarcasm in his tone or the Bond. She scowled. How could he be impressed by such feeble fighting?

"Heh," Yamcha stumbled to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth, "I'll say the same to you, Goku. I knew I don't stand a chance, but I'm still going to try," he crouched, eyes glinting, "Wolf Fang FIST!" and he darted forward, making Neka's Scouter beep.

"Well, what do you know," Neka muttered, "His power level jumped to four hundred."

Yamcha's figure blurred just a bit to Neka's eyes from the speed as he lashed out punch after punch at Goku who was caught off guard slightly. He was scrambling to block, wailing a little in his surprise, and finally, the last hit clocked him across the face and he fell back onto his butt. He sat there, looking stunned, while Yamcha caught his breath, grinning.

"That's much better than the first time you tried that on me!" Goku laughed, which made Neka grit her teeth.

If the fool were paying more attention to the fight than socializing, he wouldn't have been caught off guard. That punch would have never hit. Idiot. But it wasn't like it mattered. Goku was getting back to his feet, crouching again with a grin.

"But my moves have improved too!" Goku said, and rushed forward.

Yamcha made to punch him as he came, but Goku ducked it and swiped up his own fist to meet Yamcha's chin, sending him flying up into the air. But Yamcha was crafty. He twisted in mid air and tucked back his hands, looking down at Goku.

"Kaaa! Meee!" he began to cry.

"Oh, so he knows this move as well," Neka grunted, "Power level reaching… 640… impressive for him."

"All the students of Master Roshi know it," said Krillin, smirking up at Yamcha, "Let's see how Goku handles this!"

Goku looked up and narrowed his eyes, but he was smiling. Neka smirked a bit. Confident as ever.

"Haaa! Meee!" the orb of power was shining brightly in Yamcha's hands, "HAAA!"

The blast rocketed down straight at Goku. But Goku was more than prepared. He crossed his arms, bracing himself. Neka's Scouter blipped loudly and she blinked. His power level just leapt to 970 in less than a second. He crossed his arms, let out a cry of effort, and the blast hit him. But he did not budge with it. With a second cry, he lashed out his arms, and the blast rocketed up into the sky and out of sight. Goku's power returned to 700, like it never even happened.

How could he control his power like that?!

Yamcha landed on the stage hard, falling to one knee and laughing, "Should have known that wasn't going to work," he said, grinning up at Goku, "After seeing you beat King Piccolo, I never thought you could get any stronger."

Goku went to him and offered his hand. Neka snorted in disgust. This was a battle, why was he offering to help his opponent up? Friend or not! Yamcha took it and Goku pulled him to his feet.

"That was harder than it looked, trust me!" Goku laughed, "You've gotten a lot stronger too, Yamcha!"

Yamcha chuckled and shook his head, crouching again, "Always too modest, Goku."

Goku grinned, getting into his battle stance as well. They leapt at one another again, but Goku wasn't playing around anymore. He nimbly dodged one of Yamcha's kicks and then slammed his elbow into his back, sending Yamcha onto the ground. Goku reached down and grabbed his ankle before spinning him once before letting him go where he landed in the grass outside the ring in a heap.

"Goku has won the match by ring out!" cried the announcer, who, Neka recalled, must have been yelling this entire time with the roars of the crowd, but she had been tuning him out, too caught up in watching Goku's fighting style, "Goku will move on to the semi finals!"

"Well, Yamcha put up a good fight for what he had," laughed Krillin.

"Tch," Neka closed her eyes, "This world never ceases to disappoint me."

Goku and Yamcha returned to them, Yamcha limping a bit, but both were smiling. Neka glared at Goku and his grin faded.

"What did I do this time?" he asked, pouting slightly.

"You and I both know you could have ended that fight easily within the first minute," she snapped, "Holding back is a sign of just how pathetic you are, a disgrace to us Saiyans."

"Hey, now, sure, I didn't use my full power, but-" Goku began, waving his hands.

"Maybe you Saiyans need to learn a thing or two about discipline," said Yamcha, still smiling, "A good warrior knows when to hold back."

"Are you daring to tell me how to fight?" Neka snarled at him, unfolding her arms and clenching her fists.

Yamcha winced, "It's not that! I just-!"

"Would the fighters for the next match please report to the stage! Krillin and Neka!" called the announcer.

Neka shouldered past Yamcha, nearly unbalancing him, "Lucky for you, I have my own match to fight."

"Aw man…" Krillin gulped, "Why did I get stuck with her? Why couldn't I have gotten that one Hero guy instead?"

"Just do your best, Krillin," said Goku encouragingly, and Neka glanced back to see him staring at her with hard eyes.

She knew he was telling her to hold back. She could feel it from the Bond. She grunted and headed out onto the stage to the roaring crowd, muttering under her breath, "Yes, yes, Goku. I won't kill your precious little Krillin. But don't think that me being so passive is going to last long…"

AUTHOR NOTE:::

Holy crap 40 follows! You guys are awesome! Thank you all so much for the reviews. I'm going to try and burst through the Piccolo saga, (but still keep it detailed) so we can get on to the actual DBZ part, and I know you all want to see Vegeta come back into play.

Also, just a side note, Neka's 'food' name is Nectarine. Wasn't sure if anyone realized I tried to give her an actual Saiyan name, but there you have it!


	10. Neka vs Krillin

Krillin was terrified. When he had first met Neka, this strange girl that was struggling with her umbrella, he didn't know what to think. Sure, she was very pretty, and that, the fact being that Krillin was indeed a guy, was one of the first things he really noticed. But she didn't know how to close an umbrella! Plus, what was she doing with his best friend? Goku didn't like girls, not like most guys did, he didn't really see much of a difference between male and female, he just wanted to fight and get stronger and help those he cared about.

So how the hell did Goku get this beautiful girl following him around?

But then he learned, about how she was an alien, and so was Goku, the same kind of alien, both of them were Saiyans. And that she had a harsher temper than Launch did when she was blond. AND that she was incredibly, terrifyingly, brutally strong.

And now, Krillin was standing on the same stage as her as she glared critically over at him, her weird device's screen flickering as she got a read of his power level, her tail like the one Goku used to have, swishing idly behind her. If only she hadn't become immune to it being grabbed. Goku used to become crippled whenever someone squeezed his tail, but Neka had told them the other night how it didn't affect her because, like Goku, she had trained it just like any other limb of her body.

Grabbing it would most likely only piss her off.

And then she would bitch slap him with it.

Krillin cursed under his breath. His luck really was completely terrible. He knew there was no way he was winning this fight. But the way Neka constantly complained about how weak and pointless humans were, he wanted to at least surprise her, if not only a little, about how strong a human could be. He wouldn't go down without a fight!

"So, little man," Neka smirked at him, "Feeling confident? No, I can see it your eyes. Just try not to get the stage wet when you piss your pants."

Krillin's face turned red. None of this was fair. If her Scouter thing was accurate, then his power level was 200. And hers was 8,000. It didn't take a math genius to tell him that the odds were against him. And she was a girl. A beautiful one at that. How damned embarrassing.

"I'm not going out quietly," he said, crouching, determination flooding away the fear, "Just, you know, don't kill me."

Neka laughed, crossing her arms, "Oh, don't worry, little man," she said snidely, glancing toward Goku and Yamcha. Tien had returned from the building as well, hovering over the wall to Krillin's right, watching with a frown, "Unfortunately, so long as you're Goku's friend and don't make me too angry, I won't kill you," her eyes flicked back to Krillin, "But he didn't say anything against you going off on a stretcher."

Krillin gulped. Damn it. There goes the determination.

The fear was back.

But Krillin had been through worse, he told himself. Hell, he's died before. If anything, he could have a sensu bean if things got terrible.

He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he had a point to prove.

Stupid, Krillin, said a voice in the back of his head, just walk away now and keep your bones intact.

But no, said another, stronger voice, humans can be strong. Maybe not as strong as a Saiyan, but we have strengths in other places Neka refuses to recognize.

"Good luck, Krillin!" Goku called.

"FIGHT!" cried the announcer.

*.*.*.*

"I'm feeling generous," said Neka, closing her eyes, a smirk coming to her lips, "I'll let you make the first move, little man. Let's see if you can actually make it sting."

Opening her eyes again, she saw Krillin glaring at her. She saw the slightest shake in his limbs, but they stopped as he took a breath and smirked back at her.

"You may regret saying that!" he said confidently.

Neka snorted. Humans never ceased to amaze her at how stupid they could be.

Krillin lifted his hands, closing each fist tightly, then tucking them back at his hips, glaring determinedly at her. She heard Goku mutter to Yamcha, "Whoa, Krillin has a new technique!"

Neka perked a brow, wondering what the little being was up to, then her Scouter beeped. His power level jumped from 200 to 445. She blinked in surprise. Could all these humans fluctuate their power like this? Not that it mattered. 445 against her would only scuff her armor. Still, she really did enjoy this armor. It was one of the only pieces she had of her old life. Best to dodge, she decided, even though his punches wouldn't even hurt-

PSAAA!

It wasn't a punch.

Neka jumped just in time to avoid two heavy energy beams rushing at her, one spewing from each of Krillin's hands when he thrust them forward. They zoomed under her and she snorted, hovering in the air.

"That's it?" she scoffed.

Krillin twisted his hands and Neka looked back to see the blasts had changed course and were veering back around to hit her. She let out a hiss of distaste and held out her own hands, shooting out two blasts to meet Krillin's. They both exploded upon impact, vanishing in a puff of energy. Neka smirked victoriously.

"Was that really all you had-?" she began, but then, Krillin was suddenly beside her.

Neka barely felt the punch, and she stood there, not even her skin had caved from the impact, looking at Krillin as he had his fist to her cheek. His face fell when they made eye contact.

"Shit!" he squeaked.

Neka let out an angry grunt and back handed him, sending him crashing into the stage floor, the tiles cracking beneath him. She felt concern hit her, and was suddenly worried if she might have hurt Krillin, but when she realized how foreign these emotions were, she realized it was Goku, not her, who was worried. It seemed the stronger his emotion was, the more it felt like her own. She detested that. She also detested the fact that the little insect had managed to sneak up on her. How come her Scouter hadn't picked up his energy signature?

The only answer she could think of was that he moved too fast for it to register that he moved at all, and had been trying to catch up. Goku's words about how her Scouter was useless pricked at the back of her mind again, but she shoved them away. There was no way he could sense energy on his own. If he could, then Neka, who was far more powerful than him, surely would be able to as well.

Krillin was picking himself back up, groaning, but seemed for a most part unhurt. Unfortunate. Neka had held back too much it seemed.

"I let you get your hit in," she snapped down at him, glaring, "Now it's time to end this."

Krillin crouched, "She didn't even flinch from that punch!" he was muttering, "Guess I have to kick it up a notch."

Neka shot downward and landed, smirking darkly at him. Tempting- yes, very tempting it was- to end him here. To blast his head clean off his shoulders. It would be so easy, not even cause her hardly any effort on her part. To see the looks on every one of these weaklings faces, on Goku's face… it would be priceless. A cruel grin came to her lips.

"Neka!" Goku's voice called.

Goku's eyes clicked over to his face and he was looking at her with a hard gleam in his eyes. He knew. She gritted her teeth and sighed.

"Yes, yes, I promised, didn't I?" she drawled, letting her muscles relax again, and looking back at Krillin, who looked a little confused at their exchange. He couldn't see the subtle communications that were passing through the Bond. Lucky him, Neka thought dryly.

She would play by Goku's rules for now.

Krillin launched at her, thrusting out his elbow first. Neka side stepped him with a scoff, but as soon as he landed where she had been, he pushed off the ground to pursue her. Neka perked a brow at his persistence, and he lashed out a wild frenzy of punches. Neka blocked them all easily, a bored look on her face.

"Are you even trying?" she asked blandly, kicking up into the air.

Krillin let out an angry grunt and pushed off the ground, jumping up high to follow her. Neka grinned darkly. Krillin must have realized too late that he was jumping right into an attack of her own, and yelped, but now that he was in the air, a slave to gravity, he couldn't get away. Neka tucked and flipped forward once before hiking out a leg and slamming the heel of her boot into the top of his head, sending him sailing toward the edge of the ring where he would land in the grass.

She heard the desperate wail of Goku and Yamcha and smirked. This match was over. She crossed her arms to watch Krillin land out of bounds, but then-

Krillin stopped falling.

Neka blinked, eyes going wide as Krillin hovered up into the air and then landed shakily on the stage again, rubbing his head and grinning.

The little bastard could fly!

Goku was just as shocked as she was, she could feel it, and he gasped, "Krillin! When did you learn how to fly?!"

"You weren't the only one training for the past three years, remember, Goku?" Krillin laughed, and looked up at Neka, "You won't get rid of me that easy!"

"Seems so," Neka growled, "I'll just have to stop restraining myself so much, then, won't I?"

Krillin seemed to wince a bit, but he remained crouched, determined.

"Heh," Neka scoffed, "Some might say that you're being brave. Me? I say you're being an idiot."

Neka shot downwards, landing and smirking at him. Krillin glared at her, but she could see the fear in his eyes. It made her grin. She slowly aimed a palm at him. Krillin flinched, his determined glare falling completely.

"Dodge," Neka said bluntly, and shot out a small blast toward him.

Krillin jumped just in time for it to miss. But Neka wasn't really trying to hit him. She shot another, and another, until Krillin was bouncing all over the stage to avoid her projectiles. Neka laughed cruelly as she watched him.

"Well look at that, we found something you're good at! Dancing!" she goaded.

Finally, she intentionally landed a hit on Krillin, catching him in the chest and sending him crashing onto the stage floor. She approached, grinning down at him as he coughed and tried to sit up. She pressed a foot to his chest to push him back down and he wailed in pain at the pressure on his wound.

"Give up," she sneered, smirking.

"N-no!" Krillin coughed.

Neka sighed, still grinning and removed her boot, reaching down and grabbing him by the front of his shirt, holding him up in front of her. She felt a flash of anger from Goku, but she didn't look at him. She was enjoying this far too much. She wasn't going to kill his little friend, but that didn't mean she couldn't toy with him.

"Either way, you're going to lose, why take the hard way out?" she asked.

Krillin smiled at her, "I don't care about losing, it's about going down trying."

"Tch," Neka smirked a bit, "Even some of you humans have a sense of honor. I guess my respect for you raised up out of the negatives. But not by much."

"Glad to hear it," Krillin laughed as he raised a hand and blasted her in the face with energy.

Neka wailed, caught completely off guard. Her Scouter had not picked up anything, and she had no clue he had been charging that attack. She stumbled backward, dropping him and rubbing her eyes which were the only thing that stung. Luckily, it hit her on the side of her face the Scouter was not, so her device was intact. But she was furious none the less.

As she recovered, blinking stars out of her eyes, Krillin was rushing at her. She swiftly blocked an incoming kick and then a punch, but her blocks were sloppy from being unable to see properly. With a howl of frustration, she whipped out her arm.

It connected. She caught Krillin in the punch, sending him flying off the stage and into the wall where the audience was. It cracked when he made impact and he fell to the grass in a heap.

"Amazing!" cried the announcer, "After a sneak attack from Krillin, it appeared he may have had Neka on the ropes, but she brought it back and rung him out with only one punch! Well I guess we can all say that he went down honorably, refusing to give up even when it appeared he was outmatched! Neka goes on to the quarter finals!"

"Krillin, are you okay?" Goku called.

Krillin tried to get up but fell, laughing and wincing in pain, "It wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be," he said.

Neka glared at him, "Would you prefer I make you eat those words?"

Krillin flinched, "N-no thanks, I'm still hurting."

"That's what I thought," Neka walked off the stage as Goku went over to help Krillin up, pulling an arm around his shoulders.

She heard him talk to him, "Wow, Krillin, you've really improved! That was some great fighting, trust me I know how hard it is to surprise her!"

"Thanks, Goku, but don't let her hear you saying that, I'd expect she might surprise you istead!" he laughed then cut off, groaning in pain.

Neka decided to ignore their comments. Let them think that they were decent fighters or that they accomplished something. She hadn't been trying. Had she been, Krillin would be dead right now. And there would be no cheery Goku feelings in the back of her mind making her spine itch.

Tien was looking at her with a slight frown as she reached him and Yamcha.

"Goku wasn't kidding about your strength," he said.

"Did you want to test it, three eyes?" Neka snarled.

Tien's frown deepened, "I used to be just like you, you know. Cocky. Ruthless. I didn't care about anyone but myself. My only friend was Chiaotzu. But Goku helped me see that there's more to life than that."

"If you're trying to make some deep speech, spare me," snapped Neka, stalking passed him, "I don't give a shit."

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I think that will be all the matches for today!" called the announcer, "Tomorrow we will see the last semi final match between Hero and Junior and then move on to the quarter finals!"

"Here, Yamcha, can you hold Krillin for a sec?" Goku had reached them, and passed his injured friend off to Yamcha for a second before digging in his belt and producing a small pouch, "Here!" he took a small bean out of it.

"Oh, sensu beans!" Krillin said cheerfully.

Goku perked a brow, "You know what this is?"

"Sure, he does," said Yamcha, "Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu and I all climbed Korin's Tower and got his training two years back. We have some too."

"Great!" said Goku and handed it to Krillin who popped it in his mouth, "We have some to spare then!"

Neka snorted as Krillin's wounds closed and he was able to stand on his own again. That was what Goku had used to save her life when she first crashed here. She supposed those would come in handy in case something did happen with Piccolo.

"Goku, give me one of those," Neka demanded.

Goku blinked at her, "What- but why? You're fine, Neka!"

Neka glared at him, "It's in case you get hurt and can't get a bean yourself. That way I can revive you. Now give it to me."

Goku handed one over, "I don't see why-" he began but Neka cut him off.

"It's not just your neck anymore, defect," she growled, grabbing the front of his shirt, "It's mine too! And I'm going to have some form of insurance!"

"Alright!" Goku laughed, "Just calm down, Neka."

Neka shoved him away from her, tucking the bean in her armor, tail lashing as she turned, "Let's just go. I'm starving."

Goku's mood brightened considerably, "Yeah!" he said excitedly, "Let's go get some food!"

"Now I know what the appetite thing came from, it must be a Saiyan thing," laughed Yamcha.

They found the others and went to a food establishment on the tournament grounds. Several people pointed them out as they went and congratulated Goku, Tien, and Neka for advancing to the next rounds, and even Yamcha and Krillin for putting up good fights. Neka ignored all of them, just eating every plate that was set in front of her. One thing she did enjoy about this world was the food. It was amazing compared to what she was used to back on any of Frieza's planets or space ports. Packed full of flavor. It was amazing, and Neka promised herself she was going to figure out how they made the food taste so amazing so she could do it herself.

Her and Goku had stacks and stacks of empty plates by the end of the meal, the others just staring at them as they finally sat back. Neka stifled a burp and hooked an arm back over her chair, looking around.

This planet's people were so boring, she thought dryly. Weak, soft, with meaningless lives. Hardly any of them actually fought. None of them knew what it was to have true warrior pride and strength. It was depressing. She thought bitterly of how fast her proud race could annihilate all of them. In a blink of an eye. They wouldn't even have to transform. It would probably only take two of them. Her and…

Vegeta…

Neka looked over at Bulma, who had finished her meal long ago and was talking to Launch.

"Hey," Neka snapped, making them both look at her, but she kept her eyes on Bulma, "Can you fix my transmitter on my Scouter tonight? Without it emitting a track back signal?"

"I was nearly done with it last night," said Bulma, "I should be able to."

"Good," said Neka, closing her eyes.

She just had to know if her brother was okay.

That night, Neka waited in Bulma's hotel room impatiently while she tinkered away. Goku was with her, sitting cross legged beside her, head propped in his hands.

"So who are you trying to contact?" he asked.

"I'm not trying to contact anyone," said Neka shortly, "I'm just going to eavesdrop on some transmissions to see what they're up to."

"The ones that tried to kill you?" Goku prodded.

Neka didn't reply.

Goku sighed heavily, "You know if we're eventually going to go fight these people I think I deserve to know who they are!"

"You're not going to be fighting him," said Neka shortly, "He would destroy you."

Goku pouted at her, "That's not fair."

"Goku, he's strong enough to kill me in one hit," said Neka bluntly.

That shut him up for a moment.

"That's… that sounds impossible!" he finally spluttered, "I mean- you're already way stronger than me- so this guy-"

"Yes, so I'm going to train until I know I can defeat him, and you're going to stay behind when I go to do so," said Neka evenly, "You would just get in my way."

"But-"

"Besides," Neka cut him off, "It's not his Scouter I want to listen in on.. It's one of his men. I'll be able to tell if they really think I'm dead or not."

"There!" said Bulma and handed her the Scouter, "It's set to the numbers you gave me, and I put a cloaking on it. No one will be able to track your signal."

Neka swiftly hooked it back on her ear and hit the button, too eager to even care if the human girl had done it right or trust that she wasn't mistaken.

She entered mid-conversation.

"…ion, sir. The planet is completely clean, and awaiting your troops to reestablish it for selling."

Vegeta's voice. Her twin.

"Very good, Vegeta," and then his voice- Frieza. Anger tingled up Neka's spine.

"Neka?" Goku asked, placing a hand on her shoulder, he must have felt her spike of anger.

"Shut up!" Neka swatted him away and listened.

"…pose that it was a simple enough task, even for monkeys," Dodoria. That was Dodoria's voice, "Still, if I had gone down there it wouldn't have taken me three whole days."

"Well what do you expect?" Zarbon's lofty voice came, "Frieza, it was rather brash of you to send this filth to get the job done, if you had sent myself or Dodoria it would have been done within the hour."

"Why you-!" Nappa's angry growl came.

"Nappa!" Vegeta snapped, and there was a pause, then Vegeta continued, "Apologies, sir. We promise the next mission will go much faster."

Frieza's cold laughter sounded, "See to it that you don't, Vegeta. I would hate to send you to on easier tasks like scouting desolate planets… almost like the last mission I sent your sister on."

Vegeta was silent, but she heard Nappa growling.

"Enough, Nappa," Vegeta said in a dangerous low tone, "Until your next orders, sir. Come, Nappa, Raditz."

Footsteps for a long while.

"Neka…?" Goku murmured.

Neka shook her head at him, placing a finger to her lips.

"I can't keep doing this!" Nappa shouted, "They're purposely egging us on!"

"They just want an excuse, Nappa," said Raditz, "They're afraid of us."

"You're wrong," said Vegeta harshly, "Zarbon and Dodoria do not fear us, and Frieza only fears what we could become. In the mean time, we're far more useful under his boot. He'll use us until he no longer needs to, or when we become a true threat, but right now we are no match for him, especially the two of you," he added with distain, "We will bide our time."

"He insulted the Princess," growled Nappa.

Vegeta was silent for a moment. Then, "The only thing we can do for Neka is honor her memory by destroying him," he whispered, "And we can't do that if we're dead. No go rest up. We will continue our training tomorrow."

There were footsteps for a moment, then she heard the feed cut. Vegeta had turned off his Scouter for the night, most liking retiring to bed.

Neka sat frozen.

"Neka…?" Goku gently placed his hand on her shoulder again, "Are you okay?"

Neka slowly smirked.

"Should have expected this out of him," she laughed softly, shaking her head and closing her eyes, pride welling up inside her, "If I really was dead, this would be the perfect way to honor my memory."

"What are you talking about?" asked Goku.

Neka glanced at him, "Don't worry about it. They believe me to be dead, this is good news for us."

Goku was still frowning at her but Bulma said, "So that means we don't have to worry about random super strong aliens showing up and destroying the world?"

"Not yet," said Neka, "If my theory about them possibly knowing about Goku being sent here as a child then they might someday show up anyway to collect him and try to sell the planet," Neka clenched her fists, smirking, "But I'll be waiting here when they do."

She got up from the bed she was sitting on abruptly, "I'm going to bed."

"Uh! Wait up!" Goku jumped after her, and paused at the door while she went into the hall calling back to Bulma, "Thanks for fixing her Scouter, Bulma!"

When he caught up to her in the hall he smiled at her from the corner of her eye, "I'm glad that made you happy," he said.

Neka snorted, "What are you talking about?"

"You were mad at first, but then you heard something that made you happy!" said Goku, grinning.

Neka shrugged, "It's pleasing news that they haven't found me out yet is all."

"It was more than that," said Goku, "It was like… you were proud of someone."

Could Goku really read her feelings so easily through the Bond? Neka frowned a bit. She was going to have to watch it. She didn't like Goku, and she didn't want him or anyone on this stupid planet knowing much about her or her past and relations. It was her problem, not theirs, and she didn't need Goku preaching to her about how fighting for someone you care about is strengthening if he knew she had a brother. She could see him rubbing it in her face, "What would you do for Vegeta?" Blah, blah, blah. And he didn't need to know about Frieza. She would take care of that herself.

As soon as she could, she needed to find a way to get rid of this Bond. For the first time in her life, she regretted a murder. If she hadn't killed that Xekian, maybe he could have somehow reversed this stupid curse.

"What do you even care?" Neka scoffed finally, "Because my anger gives you a headache? Suck it up."

"It's not just that," said Goku, frowning at her, looking almost hurt, "I just want to see you happy. I… I can't explain it, but when you smile it's like this weird little flip in my stomach," he touched his belly as if to emphasize, "I only feel that when I'm about to have a really good meal! So I guess when a person- when a girl makes me feel like that, you must be something really special," he beamed.

"You're comparing me to dinner," said Neka dryly.

"Sure! I mean, there's no other greater feeling I get like that!" he laughed.

Neka sighed as she entered their room. Krillin was snoring on his bed. Neka kicked it on her way to the balcony and he yelped, startled awake.

"What was that for?!" he demanded.

"You were snoring," said Neka simply.

"Sorry, Krillin," Goku whispered.

"Tch…" Neka leaned on the railing, looking out at the island. The sun was set now, and the stars shown brightly overhead. She felt like she had some peace now. Vegeta was biding his time, and safe. He would continue to go under Frieza's orders until he was strong enough to face him, so she knew now she didn't have to worry about her twin's life. She would start training Goku after this tournament. It was possible that he could become stronger so that he would be an asset rather than burden in the fight against Frieza. But she doubted it. Saiyan blood needed more than just soft feelings to make it pump. Pride and ruthlessness is what burned them onward. And Goku barely had the former.

But one thing at a time, Neka told herself. They had to deal with this Piccolo problem first. Which was irritating enough as it was. She could easily destroy that Namekian in one blast. But Goku insisted on fighting him alone. Idiot. But, his Saiyan pride was showing there, and Neka didn't have the heart to shove it away. She just hoped he wouldn't get them both killed. Not that she would let it get that far.

But after hearing Vegeta safe and sound and training to become stronger just like her… Neka felt like… maybe she could survive this planet, survive Goku, after all. Maybe… just maybe… it wouldn't be so bad.


	11. Dirty Fighting

Neka stood on the stage of the World Martial Arts tournament nearly 15 hours later, feeling a sense of grimness within her. The day had gone by in somewhat of a blur, from waking up that morning with everyone in a cheerful mood, even Neka herself wasn't as angry as usual, to this now tense atmosphere. There were only three people left in the tournament, Goku having just won his previous match against Tien Shinhan moments ago, sending him to the finals. That left Neka and Piccolo, who stood across from her with a smirk.

The first match of that day had been Piccolo versus the seemingly useless human Hero. But as their match had progressed, it appeared that Hero was far more than that. It was Goku who picked up on it first, even though Neka knew there was something strange going on since her Scouter kept freaking out as she tried to get his power level. It would jump from five to 600 in an instant, then 800, then 900. It kept bouncing back and forth so much that Neka was certain her Scouter was malfunctioning. But then Goku had let out a gasp.

"No… no way!" he had breathed, "I recognize that power signature!"

"Recognize, how can you recognize someone's power reading?" Neka had demanded.

Goku then shouted out to the stage, "Stop, why are you doing this?! I can beat him!"

And Hero had looked at Goku with a sad smile, "You have the capability physically, but you and I both know you do not have the heart to kill him, Goku."

It had turned out that Kami was possessing the human's body. Neka was astounded by the limits of Namekian power. Their sorcery was strange and unpredictable. There was only one other being that Neka knew of that could take control of someone's body. Ginyu, Captain of the Ginyu Force. But in order to do it, he had to swap his own body with theirs. So turning into complete energy form and entering a weak body to control it and even put out the strength of one's self was baffling to Neka.

It also appeared, as Neka watched this battle continue, that Piccolo knew as well, and then things started to make sense with their talk of who was the better half. Neka had heard of Namekians being able to split themselves into two separate beings, able to expel all the darkness within one's self and for it to manifest its own body. So that was why there were two Namekians here on this world, because originally there was only one.

As the battle wore on, it also appeared that Kami was somewhat of a hypocrite, for he too did not wish to actually end Piccolo's life. He attempted to use a technique to absorb Piccolo into energy form and place him into a bottle, trapping him. But Piccolo managed to reverse the attack, ripping Kami from the human's body and entrapping him in the bottle himself. Now, Piccolo had that bottle, more than that, after the match, he had swallowed the bottle whole in front of Goku.

Ingenious. By taking Kami within himself, there was no way to free him without killing Piccolo. And Piccolo knew Goku was too soft to kill him in risk of killing Kami.

Neka, however…

She had no strong bond to the old Namekian whatsoever.

"You think yourself pretty clever, then, don't you?" she drawled, crossing her arms, "You know Goku won't kill you while that bottle lies inside you."

"He doesn't have the stomach for it," said Piccolo with a chuckle, "But what about you? I don't know you, or where you came from, but I've been keeping an eye on you and your little Goku for a while now. You weren't around when he killed my father. So what are you doing with their fold?"

Neka smirked, "It's a long and rather irritating story, I won't bore you with it," she answered.

"Oh, how considerate of you…" said Piccolo, "Of course I think I know the details already from watching that little brawl you two had in the woods the night before the sign up day."

Neka blinked, "What…?"

Piccolo laughed, "You heard me, monkey girl," he said, "This Bond you two share intrigues me. It also showed me that Goku isn't the real threat, is he? You're far stronger than he is."

Neka grunted in irritation, "You're acting as if you have the advantage here. In case you haven't noticed, your match now is with me, not Goku."

"You and I aren't very different, you know," said Piccolo, closing his eyes, "I've seen your temper. You thirst for power and destruction just like I do," he opened his eyes again, "So why not join me? I may have some power to remove that link you have with Goku and free you completely. You could do whatever you wanted. The world would be crushed beneath us."

"I don't think you quite understand the situation," said Neka, starting to smirk again, "Because you see, there is quite the difference between you and I," slowly, she began to float up into the air, "Let me show you."

"Neka!" she heard Goku calling from somewhere, "Please! Don't!"

"Shut up! I know what I'm doing!" Neka shouted back, holding out her hands at Piccolo who was still smirking at her, "Devastate!"

A huge red orb that was letting out wild jagged spikes all around formed in her hand. It was the first time she had actually used one of her battle moves here. She grinned with excitement as it rocketed down toward Piccolo, who she could see his eyes widen in shock. He hadn't expected her to outright attack him and so powerfully as well. He may have realized she was stronger than Goku, but it was obvious he hadn't seen by how much.

But then… something clicked within her. Goku's desperation to save Kami struck her like a physical blow. His determination was so strong, it was crippling her. Her Devastate was nearly at Piccolo, but she gasped, faltered, and her arms shook. The power she was emitting was cut nearly to nothing, and so instead of leaving a massive crater with nothing left within it, as it should have done, it only let out a small explosion, sending Piccolo up into the air where he flipped and regained control, flying just like she was, only a few wounds upon him.

"Damn it Goku…" Neka breathed, astounded.

How could his feelings be so strong as to affect her like that?!

Piccolo began to laugh, "I see!" he said, "So, even though you have no problem killing me, because of this link you have to him, you can't. You're weaker than I imagined if you can let that stop you."

"Silence, slug!" Neka spat at Piccolo, clenching her fists, "You were lucky. It won't happen again."

"NEKA YOU PROMISED!" Goku bellowed, making her look down at him with wide eyes.

There was such fire in his eyes, such raw emotion. His teeth were grit and his features stretched tight in desperation.

"Please!" he called, a bit softer, "For my honor- my- my pride! Let me fight him, Neka. Please…"

Neka looked from Piccolo to Goku, tail lashing. As much as she hated him, as much as she knew he was a defective Saiyan… they both knew she could not deny him a chance to defend his pride. Goku, she thought bitterly, you are more devious than you know using that against me…

"Fine," she breathed, then, louder, "Fine! But… I get to play with him first. You have to know what you're up against."

Piccolo was smirking devilishly up at her, "Forgive me if I don't tremble."

"Tch," Neka scoffed, "Your confidence is in vain, insect. I may not be allowed to kill you, but I can certainly make it easier for Goku to do so," she grinned darkly down at him as she lowered and landed back onto the stage.

"Goku? Kill me? Even with your assistance, we both know that he doesn't have the guts," said Piccolo with a laugh.

"What you don't know is that Goku is a Saiyan," said Neka, still smirking, "And every Saiyan has the killing instinct within them, whether they like it or not. He will succumb to it eventually."

"'Saiyan', what the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Piccolo, snorting, "Oh I see. Yes, makes sense now. No mere human could have ever defeated my father. It explains the tail too, so is that what you are, girl? A Saiyan?"

"I'm the princess of all Saiyans, slug," said Neka, crouching low, getting into a battle stance, "Theirs is only one other Saiyan alive on par with me, and it most certainly isn't the defect over there. You're facing the elite of our proud warrior race!"

"Oh, what an honor," said Piccolo sarcastically, laughing again, "If I had known I was facing royalty, I would have rolled out the red carpet from the start… You think you're so clever, so powerful? You haven't even glimpsed my true capability."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes, and then his pupils suddenly lit up. Neka let out a small gasp as twin beams shot from them, hair thin and making her Scouter starting going off the wall. His power level shot from his base 800 to 1000. Neka didn't have time to dodge, taken off guard so badly. The beams struck her right arm.

"Neka!" she heard Goku yelp.

Piccolo was smirking victoriously. Neka glanced at her arm where the blue jumpsuit sleeve was smoldering. Slowly, she looked back to Piccolo.

"That's it?"

Piccolo blinked, his smile fading.

Neka began to laugh as she patted the smoke out off her sleeve and held it out toward the Namekian. There were two clean holes through the fabric, but her skin wasn't even red from irritation.

"I don't think you understand what you're dealing with," said Neka, "I'm so far out of your league, you can't even hope to stand a chance. I can destroy entire worlds with a single attack. So I hope for your sake that you have more up your sleeve than that pathetic move."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. He was obviously flustered now, gritting his teeth and fists in anger. He was just now realizing how strong Neka truly was.

"I was hoping to save this for Goku," he growled, "But I will not allow this impudent monkey girl to show me up!"

He reached up and grabbed his turban, ripping it off and tossing it aside, then pulled his shoulder padded cape over his head and threw that after it. He clenched his fists, bent his knees, crouching slightly, and then began to let out a loud cry.

Neka's Scouter began to go off the charts again.

"…thirteen hundred…" she muttered.

More than that, it seemed Piccolo's body was physically beginning to grow. Neka took a step back. Interesting technique. In a way, it was like his version of the Saiyan ape form. Only his appearance didn't really change so much as his size and power. Piccolo let out a roar like laugh.

"WHOA!" Krillin cried, "He's GIANT!"

"And his chi…" Tien breathed, eyes wide, "It's rocketed!"

"Neka, be careful!" Goku called.

The announcer was also freaking out, but Neka was tuning him out as always.

"Well what do you think now, monkey girl?" Piccolo bellowed.

"Looks to me like you're overcompensating for something," Neka smirked.

"Ha! Make your jokes now, you little bitch," Piccolo growled, "But my power has increased along with my size. This is the end for you. You should have joined me while you had the chance."

Neka laughed, "…Forgive me… if I don't tremble," she said, using the same words he had used before.

Piccolo's smirk of victory faded into a scowl, "I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should."

With rather impressive speed, his hand came straight for Neka, forcing her to jump up into the air to avoid being caught by it. Piccolo snarled and looked up at her as she flew by his head which was now the size of a large boulder. She hovered there for a moment, grinning at him.

"I'm still waiting to be impressed," she goaded.

Piccolo suddenly smirked.

Neka blinked, her smile fading. What was he so pleased about?

Then, Piccolo suddenly faded her, his mouth opening wide. For a moment, Neka panicked, thinking he intended to eat her, but then, a huge burst of white energy erupted out of his throat. There was no dodging, no blocking. Neka took the blast full on. She crossed her arms instinctively, even though she was already engulfed in it. She felt her skin burn, and a few cuts opened on her face. Finally, the light faded, and she hovered there, smoldering and somewhat blinded.

Piccolo laughed and she felt a massive hand close around her, pinning one arm to her side. She frantically blinked her eyes, trying to get the stars out of them as Piccolo drew her before his face to look at her, leering.

"Oh what's wrong?" he asked, "No more smart comments, monkey girl? I'm a little impressed you're not dead, I'll give you that. But we both know it's over."

Neka finally could see again. She felt her Scouter carefully. The screen was a little cracked, and the body of it had taken some damage, but it was still functioning.

"Heh, oh good," she breathed.

"What's that?" snarled Piccolo, his grip on her tightening.

"I thought for a second that you might have destroyed my Scouter," said Neka, making eye contact with him and smirking, "I would have been really angry had you done so, but it appears to be working."

"You're worried about some trinket when you should be more worried about yourself, girl," said Piccolo harshly, "I'm about to rip you limb from limb, and enjoy every moment of it."

"But you just said it," said Neka, her smirk darkening, "We both know this is over."

She lifted her head and let out a harsh cry. Power erupted out from all sides, and Piccolo's hand was forced open.

"WHAT-?!" he began, but Neka didn't let him finish.

She bunched up her body and then rocketed forward right into his open mouth and down his throat.

*.*.*.*

Goku stared.

"What… what just… happened?" he stammered.

"Your girlfriend just got eaten," rasped Yamcha.

Piccolo staggered, his towering form threatening to step outside of the ring. He was clutching his throat, coughing madly and letting out cries of anger and pain.

"Is she freaking NUTS?!" Krillin cried, "I don't know what she's planning, but the way I see it, it can only end in two ways!"

"Yeah," said Tien gravely, "She gets digested, or, she bursts out of Piccolo and kills him."

"No!" Goku yelled, eyes going wide, "NEKA!"

Piccolo fell to one knee, coughing harder still. Between bursts, he was cursing.

"Filthy-" cough "Monkey-" cough "Bitch-!" cough.

Goku started to walk forward.

"No, Goku!" shouted Yamcha, grabbing his arm, "You can't!"

"I have to!" Goku shouted, "I'll punch him in the stomach or something- get him to throw up!"

"Goku, wait," said Tien, glancing at him, "I don't exactly like Neka, but I believe she's going to keep her word about letting you fight Piccolo. And I don't think she would put herself into any kind of situation she didn't know she could get out of."

"Tien's right," said Yamcha, "You're going to have to trust her."

Goku felt through the Bond, and felt nothing but a harsh determination coming from Neka. She was concentrating hard on whatever she was doing. And then, there was a sudden jolt of triumph. Goku tensed when Piccolo let out a yowl of pain and then started coughing worse than ever. Finally, his body gave a huge shudder, and something hit the ground, covered in slime.

"Urgh…" Krillin cringed, "I hope whatever she did was worth it, because that can't be pleasant."

"Neka!" Goku called, "Are you okay?"

Neka sat up, wiping the purple slime from her face with the back of her arm.

"UGH, disgusting!" she spat, getting shakily to her feet, "Goku, you OWE me, you got that?!"

"Why? I didn't ask you to-" Goku cut off with a gasp when Neka smirked at him and held something up toward him.

A small white vial.

Piccolo was gasping and swaying. Slowly, he shrank back to his normal size, panting and fell to one knee once more. He looked up, and spotted what Neka was holding.

"NO!" he bellowed, "Give it BACK!"

Neka laughed, dodging out of the way easily when Piccolo lunged at her. She held out the vial mockingly.

"I told you I would make it to where Goku could kill you," she said, smirking.

"You BITCH!" Piccolo hollered, "I'm going to make you pay, do you hear me?! Everything you've ever loved, everyone you've ever cared about, I'm going to destroy ALL of it right in front you! Tear it to pieces so small and deformed you won't be able to recognize it anymore! Then I'll bury your corpse in them!"

"Joke's on you," said Neka coldly, "I don't love or care for anything."

That's not true, Goku thought, but kept his mouth shut as Piccolo seethed in rage, throwing another sloppy punch at Neka. The Saiyan Princess sidestepped it easily.

"We're through here, slug," said Neka, walking away from him.

"Stop, I'm not finished with you yet, you bitch!" Piccolo cried.

"Ha! What can you possibly finish what was never started?" Neka laughed and hopped off the stage and into the grass.

"I- but- wha-" the announcer seemed lost for words for a moment, completely baffled, "L-ladies and gentlemen! Neka has… walked… right out of bounds, and therefore… Junior is the winner! He will go on to the finals where he will face off against Goku!"

The crowd seemed just as confused as the announcer, but after a moment, they burst into applause.

"What a fight!"

"Did you see him grow?!"

"That was incredible!"

"That girl with the tail was amazing!"

Goku smiled at Neka when she reached them.

"Oh don't you start…" she began, but Goku burst out anyways.

"Neka that was great!" he yowled, making her flinch in irritation, "I can't believe you saved Kami!"

"I thought you had lost your mind, jumping down his throat like that!" Krillin chipped in.

"That was pretty quick thinking," said Yamcha with a grin.

"Shut up, all of you," sighed Neka, "I didn't do it for any of you or even the old man," she glared at the vial, "I did it so that Goku would have no excuses," she glared up at him.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Goku asked.

"No excuses, Goku!" Neka snapped, "You have to kill him."

"Ah! But Neka, it's not that simple!" said Goku, frowning at her.

"I told you," Piccolo snarled as he joined them, making Krillin and Yamcha flinch, "Even now, he doesn't have the stomach for it. He's pathetic."

Goku glared at Piccolo, but before he could speak, Neka glanced back at him, "Go lick your wounds, slug. I have no more words for you."

Piccolo snarled at her, "Enjoy your days while you can, monkey girl, but mark my words, I will be there to end them."

"Empty words from an empty threat," Neka scoffed.

Piccolo stormed passed them and into the back room. The others glared after him for a moment before Neka brought them back to the conversation.

"What could possibly be holding you back now, defect?" she demanded, "I freed your friend from his body without harming either of them. Do you know how difficult that was?! I couldn't BREATHE in there! I'm covered in bodily fluids that I don't even want to think about the substance of!"

"Even though Kami isn't in him anymore, I still can't risk killing Piccolo," said Goku, "You know how they're the two halves of one being. Well, Mr. Popo told me that if one dies… the other one dies as well."

Neka blinked, "Wait… so it's like our Bond…" she muttered.

Goku nodded grimly.

"And this is why you haven't wanted to kill Piccolo from the gate," said Neka, narrowing her eyes, "Goku, you stupid, soft child…"

"What?" Goku said, his tone getting sharp, "What is so wrong with wanting to defend my friends?"

"You say that this Piccolo would take over your entire planet and kill thousands of people, yes?" Neka asked.

Goku nodded, "If no one stopped him, yes."

"Then if you ask me, the death of one measly old man is worth the lives of thousands more," said Neka sharply, "It's simple math, Goku, or is your brain too small for that as well?!"

"No!" snapped Goku, "There has to be a way around killing him."

"Well, if you find that way, you let me know," said Neka, turning on her heel and beginning to march away.

"Wait! Neka, where are you going?" Goku called after her.

"To take a shower, in case you haven't noticed, I'm covered in slug slime," Neka snarled over her shoulder.

"But you still have the vial. We should let Kami out," said Goku.

"Oh, this?" Neka held up the little bottle and smirked at Goku, "No, I think I'll be holding onto this."

Goku blinked at her, "What? Why?"

"It's simple, Goku," said Neka, turning to face him again, "If you find some miraculous way of defeating Piccolo without killing him, I'll let out your friend. But if it comes down to it during the battle, and it appears that Piccolo is going to kill you? I need a failsafe."

"Neka…" growled Tien, "That's barbaric! You can't!"

"I can," said Neka, smirking, "I will not allow you to risk our lives, Goku. If what you say is true, about Piccolo and Kami sharing the same life line, just like us, well then… if Piccolo manages to best you and is ready to make the killing blow, I'll just have to kill Kami before he can do it. And with him sealed up in this little bottle? Why… it will be as easy as clenching my fist," she gripped the bottle tighter and Goku glared at her.

He was furious. It took a lot to make Goku truly angry. But this? How dare she?!

"Neka, don't do this," he said harshly.

"Believe me, I wish I didn't have to," said Neka, "I wish your stupid sentiments wouldn't get in the way and that you would have let me killed him at the start of the match."

"The final match will begin in ten minutes!" the announcer called.

"I thought you were better than this, Neka," Goku snapped, "How can I possibly be fighting for my honor when I know you can pull the plug at any moment if things get too harsh for me?"

"You'll get over it," said Neka sharply, turning and storming away.

Goku stared after her, his fury slowly fizzling away to a strange feeling of grief. Neka… he thought with that sadness laying deep in his heart, why are you this way?

But it couldn't be helped. He knew there would be no convincing Neka out of her decision. Today, he was faced with two challenges now. Fight to both defeat Piccolo, and save Kami's life.


	12. Alteration

Neka remained in the building for the first part of the match, keeping an eye on things from the doorway. She didn't want to be anywhere near any of Goku's friends and hear their stupid complaining about her keeping the bottle that contained Kami. She could tell that Goku quickly forgot his anger at Neka when the fight started. Having watched Piccolo face Neka, she guessed he thought Piccolo was a lot weaker than he actually was. But Goku kept up well. It appeared that they were evenly matched.

The hardest part of the battle, however, was the fact that Neka could feel every single hit that Piccolo landed on Goku. She grit her teeth in effort to block it out, but it still pushed through, and it was almost as if she herself was out there facing against the Namekian, only far worse since it wasn't her and her strength. Was Goku really so weak? Neka kept the vial containing Kami in her fist, temptation to crush it getting stronger and stronger as the battle wore on.

I could end this right now, Neka thought. But she could feel it from Goku. He… he needed this. Why in hell Neka was concerned about what Goku wanted or even needed was beyond her. But she found herself hesitating. Saiyan pride… it was a beautiful thing. And when she felt it from Goku, she thought to herself that maybe he wasn't defective after all. Maybe he could be worthy to be called a Saiyan warrior.

_"Our Elder spoke of a woman with a tail that would come. Said that she and the Warrior would be the ones to avenge our people."_

Neka flinched at the memory of the words from the strange alien on the grey planet. She had nearly forgotten about his strange ramblings. He had said that, hadn't he?

The Warrior….

Could…

But no. It couldn't possibly be. That alien had been a maniac.

Yet, he had been right about the Bond.

Neka felt pain lace her again as Goku was struck once more. Her anger got the better of her.

"Goku what the hell are you even doing?!" she cried, stepping out of the building, "Fight like you mean it, you stupid defect!"

Goku was on the ground, slowly picking himself up. His clothing was in tatters. He had blood pouring from his brow and lip and a few cuts on his skin, all of which Neka could feel plainly, but she was getting a bit better at blocking out the pain. Maybe letting Goku fight Piccolo would pay off with training her how to get past feeling Goku's injuries.

As Goku faced off against Piccolo again, he didn't respond to her directly, but Neka could feel the determination in him swell a bit. Good. Her opinion of him mattered in his mind it seemed. She didn't know why, but if it made him fight better then so be it.

Piccolo also had a good few cuts and bruises, but he was smirking, something Neka didn't like. What was he planning?

"Give him a break, Neka, he's actually doing pretty good for what he's up against," said Krillin softly.

"He's far stronger than his father," Tien agreed, frowning out at the fight, "It's amazing how much Goku's improved. Now I can tell he was holding back when he fought against me."

"Of course he was," snapped Neka, "You're a weak human, and for some idiotic reason, Goku cares about all of your safety. So naturally he would hold back. Even a defective Saiyan is still incredibly powerful compared to your lot."

Tien shot her a glare, "You could learn a lot from Goku, Neka. Respect for starters."

"Why would I respect something that can't even earn it?" growled Neka.

Before more could be said, Piccolo attacked once more.

Those lasers shot out of his eyes, making Goku leap into the air to avoid them. Neka frowned a bit. That attack… it almost seemed like Piccolo was purposely aiming for Goku's feet. As if to make him dodge. Neka's eyes widened.

"Goku!" she shouted, but too late.

Piccolo appeared behind Goku in the air as the fool yelped in surprise. Piccolo raised his fists high, both of them clamped together, and slammed them down on Goku's head. Neka staggered and gasped at the hit, still trying to watch what was happening at the same time in case she needed to crush the vial in her hand. She was hardly even aware of the hands steadying her as she looked up to see Goku laying on his back on the stage floor. Piccolo was rocketed down at Goku, knee jutted out. Neka was certain that he was going to slam it into Goku's center.

But it seemed her guess was incorrect.

Piccolo's kneecap pounded into Goku's right hand that was laying out to his side, crushing practically every bone within it. Neka only knew this because the pain she felt from it was excruciating, so much that it made her wail up to the sky in agony along with him.

Too late did she realize that her right hand was the one holding the vial containing Kami.

She felt her grip on it fail, and looked with watering eyes as it fell toward the ground.

"No!" she shouted, staggering to catch it.

But a green hand appeared almost out of nowhere and snatched it right before it hit the pavement.

Piccolo's arm was stretched to nearly five times its normal length from his body where he was still crouched by Goku. Before Neka could even breathe, it reeled back in like some sort of rubber band, and Piccolo let out a wild laughter, holding up the vial in his triumph.

"Sh-shit!" Neka gasped, clutching her right hand close to her body, "He's smarter than I gave him c-credit for!" she shook in anger.

"Oh no!" Krillin hissed, "We're so screwed!"

"What now, monkey girl?" Piccolo sneered, smirking wickedly at her, "You're little failsafe is gone. And now there's nothing to hold me back from killing your little Goku here, and with his death comes yours, isn't that right?" he laughed.

"I'll fucking kill you!" Neka failed, powering up an attack in her left hand, the red orb of energy shining brilliantly.

"No, Neka, stop!" Tien cried, "With that attack, you could hurt Goku!"

"He's shielded by the Bond, it won't matter!" Neka spat.

"You'll kill the audience!" Krillin pulled back her hand.

Neka's mind was so infected with Goku's pain, she couldn't even fight back against it, and her orb of power faded to nothing.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she snarled, "Isn't Goku your friend? Let me save him!"

Piccolo cackled again, "It's so amusing to watch you squirm. But it's useless. You were the only thing standing between Goku and his demise and you've failed because you listened to his foolishness. We both knew he couldn't defeat me, and still you let him try. I don't know who's more idiotic between the two of you!"

There was the sudden sound of shattering glass.

Neka blinked in surprise, feeling the triumph flood the Bond from Goku. The vial in Piccolo's hand no longer had a top. Goku was on his feet, one hand still held out from the swift swiping motion he used to sever the cap off. She had been so caught up in her anger and Goku's own pain that she hadn't even been able to track his movements.

A vapor poured out from the vial, and then, quite suddenly, Kami appeared on the stage floor, sitting there blinking in complete surprise.

"There," said Goku, smirking, "Now I can concentrate. Kami, go with the others."

"But Goku-" Kami stammered.

"Go!" Goku shouted, "I can do this!"

Kami got to his feet, slowly heading toward Neka and the others. Piccolo was shaking in rage.

"How dare you!" he bellowed, "You think this makes a difference?! It doesn't! YOU'RE DEAD!"

When the battle continued, Neka noticed an improvement in Goku's fighting. His mind was more focused, and he fought with all he had, everything in him. Even with a crippled hand, he was still pushing on impressively. Piccolo wasn't one to go down easy, though. He put up a great fight, but his anger and rage seemed to be making his moves sloppy. As the fight grew more and more violent and vicious, the audience fled. Soon only Goku's group of friends and the announcer were left. They came over to watch from where Neka and the others were when the energy blasts kept getting a little too close. Soon, there was practically nothing left but the stage and ruins. Finally, Goku threw Piccolo into a crater in the center of the ring. It seemed he won, and the announcer began the countdown. Goku stood over the crater, slightly out of breath, smiling a bit. His clothes were in tatters, and blood seeped from several wounds on his skin.

"He did it," breathed Krillin.

"I don't know about that," said Tien gravely.

"He should finish him off," Neka spat, leaning on the wall for support, feeling exhausted from the strain in the Bond, "What is he waiting for?!"

Her Scouter blipped.

"GOKU!" she cried.

Too late.

Piccolo's head snapped up and a blast erupted from his maw, cutting a hole clean through Goku's shoulder. The pain was incredible. Neka wailed and fell back, but Tien caught her. She didn't have the energy to yell at him for helping her. She looked out toward the fight with eyes that wanted nothing more than to close.

Piccolo was laughing maniacally, flying up above Goku and charging a huge orb of energy in his palm.

"This is where it ends!" he cried, "You, the monkey girl, and all of your pathetic friends are going to die here and now, all thanks to you, Goku!"

Goku was laying on the ground, gasping in pain.

"Kill me!" Kami shouted, grabbing Tien, "Do it now! If I die, Piccolo dies! Please!"

"Do it!" Neka rasped, too weak and distracted to do the deed herself.

"N-no!" Goku wailed, looking back at them, "I- I can still win!"

"What?!" Krillin yelped, "Goku, you're crazy! You'll die!"

"I c-can beat him!" Goku gasped.

Neka could feel that he believed it.

"No!" Kami snapped, "Just kill me and be done with it! Now!"

Neka forced herself to stand up on her own, shoving Tien sloppily away from her. She aimed a hand at Kami, concentrating.

"Neka! NEKA NO!" Goku cried.

He believed it with all his heart that he could beat Piccolo…

Neka looked up at Piccolo, who continued to charge his massive attack, then at Kami who stared at her with begging eyes, and finally to Goku, that defective Saiyan that had such…

Such pride…

Neka's hand fell.

"Quick!" Tien called, using energy blasts to carve out a hole in the ground in which they could all take shelter in, "We need to hide!"

Krillin and Tien helped Neka stumble into the hole, much to her protesting. Even that blast at full strength wasn't going to hurt her. But it would scuff up her armor… she decided maybe it would be better in the hole.

With a mighty cry, Piccolo unleashed his attack. Neka bowed her head and shut her eyes, waiting for death to claim both her and Goku. Or at least the pain of the assault. Sand and earth covered her and the others, and the entire world seemed to be shaking.

When the shaking stopped, Neka felt hands pull her up and she gasped for air and looked around wildly. She was alive. How?

Goku was swelling in triumph, but why? Where was he?

Piccolo was still flying overhead, frowning down at the ground. He had spotted Neka moving, and concluded with her alive so was Goku, but Goku was nowhere to be seen. It also appeared that Piccolo's attack had left a wasteland. Nothing was left. It could only be told where the stage had been thanks to a slight pucker in the earth in a square shape over which Piccolo hovered.

Neka saw a shape of something appear over Piccolo's shoulder, something tiny, but growing at an incredible rate.

"Is that…?" Bulma breathed somewhere from Neka's right.

Piccolo turned just in time to see a Goku-missile racing at him head first. How he somehow got above Piccolo during the blast Neka had no clue. Goku slammed into Piccolo's chest, sending him rocketing into the ground. He hit hard, leaving behind a rut as he skidded a ways, and then stopped, laying in a heap, head back, out cold. Goku landed next, slamming onto what was left of the stage. Neka's whole body jolted from the pain and fell over, gasping, shutting her eyes tight, trying to block it out.

"Neka!" Bulma grabbed her arm, pulling her into a sitting position.

"Don't touch me," Neka rasped, trying and failing to get out of Bulma's grasp.

"I-is he out?" Goku rasped, looking up.

"Wh-what?" the announcer, how he was still alive was beyond Neka, seemed to notice that Goku was speaking to him.

"Is he out of the ring?" Goku asked.

The announcer looked from the strange outline that used to be the stage to where Piccolo landed, "U-uh- yeah- I guess he is, though there's not much left to tell."

"Then that means I won, right?" Goku pressed.

"Uh- yeah. Yeah! Oh! Ladies and Gentlemen, Goku is the winner of the World Martial Arts Tournament!" the announcer cried, then looked around and sighed, "Oh yeah…"

Neka heard Goku laugh, "I won!" he breathed, pride swelling inside him, seeping to Neka in the Bond.

She shook her head weakly, smiling a bit despite herself. Well what do you know.

Maybe the defect was a warrior.

And she fell backward, her body and mind both strained to the breaking point from the Bond, her world going black.

*.*.*

Somewhere, Neka could hear someone calling her name.

It was like déjà vu. Almost exactly like when she had first crashed on this world not but a week ago. Had it really only been a week? Neka felt like she had been here on Earth for ages. Like she had been with Goku for…

Goku…

"Neka! Wake up! Please!"

"She'll be fine, it was just the strain from your link," that was the old voice of the Namekian Kami.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Goku's desperate voice again, "I feel fine now that I ate the sensu bean, but she's still unconscious!"

"This is Neka we're talking about," laughed Bulma, "For as little as we've known her, I know for sure that she's too tough to keep down for long."

"Damn right…" Neka rasped.

"Neka!" Goku cried.

Neka opened her eyes to see he was kneeling by her, holding her torso in his arms, her shoulders supported by his strong bicep. He was beaming at her, looking perfectly healthy. They were still on the island, well, the ruined dessert that was now the island.

"You better have a good reason for touching me," Neka said blandly.

Goku just beamed at her, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Let go of me."

"I beat Piccolo! You saw, right?"

"You're not letting go of me."

"Do you wanna know how I did it?"

Neka punched him.

Goku wailed and fell back, finally letting go of her, leaving Neka sprawling out on the ground. She would have gotten up, but she was too stunned by the development that just occurred.

She hadn't felt it. Neka touched her face uncertainly, blinking in astonishment. She had not felt a single tingle of the punch she had just planted across Goku's face.

"Neka!" Krillin wailed, "Sheesh, what do you think, we're made out of sensu beans? Goku just healed!"

"Besides, didn't that hurt you too?" asked Yamcha.

Goku was sitting up, rubbing his face and pouting as Neka responded.

"No. No it didn't hurt," she said softly.

Everyone stared for a moment.

"Wait, what?" Tien asked, perking a brow. The little one called Chiaotzu was beside him, Neka guessed he came back while she was out cold, "How is that possible?"

"How the hell should I know?" Neka spat, "I'm just telling you that I didn't feel it. Not even a little."

"Really? Are you that good at blocking it out, Neka?" Goku asked, eyes wide.

"No, you idiot," snapped Neka, "It's changed. This link, it's altered somehow. Old man!" she looked at Kami, who looked incredibly insulted at being addressed as such, "Tell me. Can you sense what happened?"

Kami sighed heavily, "You will have to allow me to touch you."

"Fine, whatever," Neka grumbled, getting to her feet and holding out her fist.

Kami gently laid his hand over her knuckled and closed his eyes, frowning. They waited for a moment while he sighed and then looked at Neka again.

"It's interesting. It seems that your Bond changed when Goku nearly died. His soul, which is fused with yours, began to slip away, tugging yours along with it. This is most likely what also caused you to pass out. However, when his soul snapped back, and he survived, it… altered the link. It seems you can no longer feel one another's pain."

Neka drew back her hand and glanced at Goku who was staring with wide eyes.

"That means we can fight for real!" he gasped, eyes going wide with glistening excitement and beaming ear to ear.

"I would kill you, idiot," Neka growled, crossing her arms and looking at Kami, "What about death? What happens if he dies? Will I die too still?"

Kami frowned a bit, "It is difficult to say. I cannot be certain."

"Well that doesn't help," snarled Neka, "What good even are you?"

She turned and then something came to her as she looked around.

"Hang on… Where's Piccolo? He's alive, he must be for the old man to still be here."

Goku smiled sheepishly while Krillin and Yamcha both exchanged a look. Neka looked at each of them in turn.

"Well?! What happened?"

"Goku gave Piccolo a sensu bean and he flew off promising revenge," said Bulma, glaring at Goku.

"I had to!" Goku defended quickly, "If he died, Kami would have died, and then the Dragon Balls would be gone!"

"Dragon what?" Neka perked a brow.

"Goku!" snapped Krillin, "Don't you remember what we discussed?!"

"Oh yeah… oops!" Goku laughed, "Neka's not supposed to know about the Dragon Balls, that's right…"

"You're making it worse!" wailed Krillin.

Neka glared at them, "What aren't you telling me?" she demanded.

"Don't worry about it!" Goku said, waving his hands wildly, "It's nothing! Honest!"

Neka shot him a look that would have obliterated him if looks could kill. Goku laughed nervously again.

"It's just some valuable artifacts," said Bulma swiftly, "Kami didn't want you to know because evil taints them."

"Pah! Evil?" Neka placed her hands on her hips.

"Well, you are kind of a bitch," Bulma smiled at her.

"You know without Goku's pain to hold me back, it would be very easy right now to kill you," Neka said dryly.

That wiped the smile off Bulma's face.

"But you wouldn't would you, Neka?" Goku said, "Because we have training to do! Right? You promised!"

"Wait, Goku," said Kami, "I've been thinking. My time as Guardian of the Earth might be up. You have a good pure heart. You could take up the title, you would be a perfect Guardian. You would do an amazing job."

"Hah hah! No, no thanks!" Goku said nervously, "There's no way I would want that job, Kami, no offense, I mean, look at what I have now!" he called up to the sky, "NIMBUS!"

The golden cloud rushed down and came to a halt beside him. He beamed at all of them, "With Neka, my adventures are never going to end! And right now, I have to go train harder than ever because not only is Piccolo still out there, but according to her so are some people even stronger than him and her combined! Can you imagine?!"

One thing was for sure, the change in the Bond had not softened how plainly Neka could feel Goku's emotions. She gasped as his pure excitement flooded her.

Which is also why she was caught off guard when Goku grabbed her hand and took off flying on the Nimbus, dragging her with him.

"See you later guys! Neka and I will be sure to visit!" he called.

Neka pulled herself from his grip and flew beside him, shooting him a glare as they rocketed off across the sky.

"You're pathetic," she said.

"What?" Goku pouted at her, "But I defeated Piccolo-"

"No, you let him escape! That isn't winning. It isn't winning unless you kill your opponent!" she snarled.

Goku sighed, "Come on, Neka, you know that's not true!"

"Listen carefully to me," said Neka harshly, "The next few years are going to be the hardest of your life training under me, and there won't be any room for such softness!"

"But-"

"NO!" Neka shouted, cutting him off, "I'm in charge, my rules, my way, got it?"

"But-"

"GOT IT?!"

Goku bowed his head, "I'll try…"

"Good," Neka said, "We will need a homestead of some kind. I'm sure we can build something easily enough. Somewhere secluded, preferably."

"I know a really nice spot in the woods that isn't too far of a flight to West City. And I'm sure Bulma would help us where we need it," said Goku cheerfully.

"We will also have to be aware of Piccolo since you let him loose," added Neka blandly.

"It'll be fine."

Neka sighed. It would be difficult to change his way of thinking. Or impossible.

"Neka?"

"What."

"I just wanted to say thank you," Goku smiled at her.

"For what?" Neka perked a brow.

"Believing in me," said Goku, "Even when you didn't want to, you let me fight for my honor."

"Saiyan blood needs that," said Neka, "You must defend your pride. For without pride, you are not just a defective Saiyan, you're a dead one."

Goku grinned at her, "Do you still think I'm a defective Saiyan?"

Neka considered for a moment.

"Yes, but not as much as I initially believed," she finally answered.

Goku grinned bigger, but Neka cut him short.

"Don't let it go to your head. I still hate you."

"Don't worry, that'll change," Goku laughed cheerfully.

And as they flew toward the setting sun, Neka wondered for the first time if he was right.


	13. One Year Later

"Again."

Goku let out a sigh and pouted at Neka, "But we've been at this for hours!" he whined, "I'm starving!"

"And I told you no food until you can stay floating perfectly still for five minutes," snarled Neka.

A year had passed since the World Tournament. Piccolo had stayed out of sight and there had been no suggestions of him attacking anyone. Neka and Goku had moved into the woods near a large wasteland, the closest city being West City where Bulma resided. Neka had originally wanted to build a home from scratch but Bulma had provided them with a humble abode that could turn into a Capsule without disturbing the contents. It was actually very handy so that they could just store it in a pocket while they trained instead of risking it get destroyed.

At the moment, they were in a clearing in the woods, and Neka was attempting to teach Goku how to fly for the tenth time that week. They had started with standard battle training on the ground until Goku could manage to knock Neka down at least once a day, then she decided that he was ready for this step. For some reason, it was a difficult concept for him to grasp. He just didn't have the grace for it. But Neka knew that once he got the hang of it, he would be zipping around like he had been doing it all his life. It seemed that that was how Goku trained. Even if he seemed incredibly sloppy at something at first, once he got it down he was a professional.

All it took was time.

And Neka wasn't exactly patient.

"I said, again!" Neka bellowed, making Goku flinch.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself, standing still and closing his eyes. Slowly, he began to rise off the ground, then stopped when he was hovering two feet above the grass. Neka crossed her arms while she waited. Since she wasn't doing hand to hand combat with him today, she wasn't in her armor, instead in a top piece that she now knew as a tank top, and shorts with what Bulma referred to at tennis shoes on her feet. Although she loved her armor, she had to admit that the human clothing was comfortable, and if she wasn't fighting she decided that it would suffice to wear. Goku however was still in his orange jumper, though Neka made him take off his weighted under garments for flying exercise until he could at least keep his balance.

The clock feature on her Scouter that Bulma had implanted told her that Goku managed to stay afloat for nearly three minutes before his stomach growled and he lost balance, wailing and his limbs flailing all over as he desperately tried to stay afloat before falling face first into the grass. Neka pushed a palm into her forehead, trying to keep her temper in check.

One thing that had passed over the past year was Neka's flaring anger calming somewhat. While she still snapped and would yell, she found that the desire to destroy absolutely everything was ebbing slightly. Not completely by any means, but bit by bit, she was growing more passive. Part of her hated it. She was a warrior, a Saiyan of royal blood, the elite! But Goku's constant presence in her mind, his soft yet passionate emotions, his… goodness… she knew that it had an effect on her.

She also knew that in order to get Goku strong enough to where they could stand a chance against Frieza, or at least some of his men, that she had to change tactics somewhat. Goku responded better to her training when she showed signs of approval, this much she had gathered. This year his combat skills had improved. Not enough to be even close to damaging Neka, but still, improvement was improvement.

"Damn," Goku muttered as he sat up, "How long did I go that time?" he asked, looking up hopefully.

"Two minutes and forty-six seconds," said Neka dryly.

"Aw…" Goku pouted as his stomach growled again.

Neka closed her eyes, crossing her arms again, "I suppose I can hardly expect you to concentrate when you're hungry."

Goku leapt to his feet and rushed to her placing his hands on her shoulders, "Does that mean we get to eat?!" he said in wild excitement.

Neka grunted in irritation when he touched her and pushed him away, "I told you not to touch me unless we were sparring!" she snapped, "Now I just might change my mind about eating!"

Goku looked like a puppy that just got kicked into a muddy puddle, his eyes wide, face falling into a pout.

Neka scoffed and turned, heading back toward the house. It was out today since all they were doing was flying practice and there was no risk of it getting destroyed, "Come on. You're absolutely ridiculous when it comes to substance."

"Eeeee!" Goku squealed as he ran right past her toward the house at full pelt.

Neka continued to walk casually, shaking her head and wondering yet again on how she got into this mess.

Over the past year, she continued to listen to transmissions from her brother's Scouter, however, the past week she had not been able to get a signal. From what she had heard, Vegeta was going about business as usual, but also training hard in secret from Frieza with Nappa and Raditz. She knew he was improving. It frustrated Neka because training on her own was not nearly as effective as training with her twin. She needed someone on her skill level or higher to get stronger faster but all she had was Goku. At this rate, she knew Vegeta was going to get stronger than her, if he wasn't already. The best she could hope to do would be to bring Goku to her level of power and then train with him. But at the rate they were going, that could take years.

Neka sighed as she entered their home, shaking her head in slight irritation. She was better than when she first crashed, but could her patience really hold out for years? Could she put aside her destructive nature long enough to train Goku?

"Where's the food?" Goku asked in a disappointed voice, bringing her back to the world.

He was standing next to the empty table, staring at it with incredible sadness. It was still a little amazing how much Goku cared for food. Neka didn't know anything could feel so passionately about edible substance until she met him. Even for a Saiyan, it was a bit ridiculous.

"I have to cook it, moron," grumbled Neka, heading over to the kitchen.

One thing she had picked up since she landed on Earth was how to prepare food. It was messy business at first, lots of burned servings and smashed plates in her frustration, but she found that it was one of the things out side of fighting that calmed her down. The other thing was music. Something that Bulma had introduced her to. Neka favored a particular group with a female singer, who held a strong voice, and the percussion that rattled Neka's ear drums pleasingly. She had never heard music from other worlds or even her own really. But she found it was quite nice.

Goku sat at the table, though he still looked saddened. He knew that Neka hated it when he bothered her while she cooked. They had to repair one of the walls at one point since she punched him through it when he kept hovering around her while drooling and asking over and over if it was done yet.

Neka turned up her music player and quickly began to get to work on lunch. As her hands flew across the kitchen ware and spices, she sang.

"_Regrets collect… like old friends… here to relive… your darkest moments, I can see no way, I can see no way… and all of the ghouls come out to play… and every demon wants his pound of flesh, but I like to keep some things to myself… I like to keep my issues strong… it's always darkest before the dawn_."

The instruments kicked in at that point, making Neka's movements go even faster as the pan heated up and she tossed the slab of beef into it, while seemingly almost at the same time she had the rice beginning to stew in the pot next to it.

"_And I've been a fool and I've been blind, I can never leave the past behind, I can see no way! I can see no way! I'm always dragging that horse around, our love is pastured such a mournful sound, tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground, I like to keep my issues strong, but it's always darkest before the dawn_!"

Neka was at full speed, her hands flying like blurs as she added more and more to the pan and pot, spices and seasonings and sauces, going and going and steam filling the kitchen. She used her energy beams to carefully cook some of the meat that wasn't frying fast enough from just the burners.

"_Shake it out, shake it out! Shake it out, shake it out! Oh-whoa_!"

By the time the song finished, Neka had a full four course meal set up on the table. As she placed the last plate she sat down and the music died down. Goku was staring at her. Neka glanced at him as she made to take her first bite.

"You're staring because?"

"Oh!" Goku squeaked and laughed nervously, "I just never heard you sing before."

Neka blinked and then realized that it was true. She sang to her new found music a lot, but she restrained herself in front of Goku. It had just slipped her mind this time. She found her cheeks felt warm and she looked away, "So what?" she snapped irritably.

Goku laughed again, "Nothing! It- it was just… it was nice."

Neka shot him a glare.

"I mean it!" he said, waving his hands wildly, "Seriously! I know you listen to the music all the time, but… I think I like your singing voice over theirs."

Neka scoffed, "Are you going to talk about nonsense or eat? We could go out and practice flying again if you're not hungry."

"AH! No, no, no!" Goku wailed and immediately began stuffing his face.

Neka ate silently while her mind wandered. She didn't like showing any sign of softness in front of Goku, and she knew that singing and listening to this new music and cooking… all of those things calmed her. All of those things made her feel…

Happy.

It wasn't something she had an easy time admitting, even to herself, but for the first time in… in years… she felt content. And part of her hated it, hated it to her core with a burning passion. But it was true, and she couldn't deny it. Away from Frieza's tyranny, training each day, discovering things outside of violence and death that she could enjoy like cooking and music and singing.

And maybe even Goku.

Neka shut down that part of her mind swiftly. No, Goku had nothing to do with it. He couldn't. The only possible thing he might have to do with it is his own soft emotions seeping to her and corrupting her. But even if that was the case, Neka found that maybe… maybe she didn't mind. Because she was okay here, on Earth, with her music, cooking, singing…

And with Goku…

Though she felt terrible admitting it, even Vegeta's signal getting lost was somewhat of a relief. Ignorance is bliss, right? She would always tune in to his Scouter thinking she was going to hear the worse. Him finally losing it, him attacking Frieza and being destroyed, or Frieza deciding he didn't need any Saiyans after all, and wiping him out along with Nappa and Raditz. But now, without anything more that Neka could do to listen in, she just had to rely on her faith in her brother.

She still hadn't told Goku about Vegeta, and thankfully he had given up on asking. As she watched him now, stuffing his face like a wild animal, Neka found that despite it all, the defect was growing on her. She knew now that she didn't hate him like she once did, and she had come to admire his determination, and his pride. She knew she didn't want him dead, even if it might not mean her own demise now.

A lot had changed in a year.

Goku let out a massive belch as he finished his last bit of food and leaned back.

"Ah that was delicious!" he exclaimed with a huge beam, "Neka, I think you're cooking gets better every time I taste it!"

"Tch, try to flatter me all you want, we're still going back out there and getting you in the air," said Neka as she got to her feet, "Just as soon as you put the plates away."

"Huh?!" Goku blinked in shock, "Why do I have to put the plates away?"

"Because you're the one who wanted to eat so badly!" Neka snapped, making him wince, "Now hurry up!"

As she stormed out of the house, she took a deep breath of the forest air as she hummed to 'Shake it Out' a bit more. Goku may be growing on her, but he still infuriated her in several ways. As she began to make her way to the clearing, knowing Goku would meet her there once he finished up, there was a whistling sound. She looked up as her Scouter indicated a few low level power sources heading her way. She recognized the levels, though they had increased a bit since she last saw them.

"Hmph," she muttered, closing her eyes and crossing her arms.

Great. Socializing. Something Neka still didn't have the hang of.

"Hey, Neka! What's going on?" the call came from above.

Neka glanced up as Krillin flew down and landed before her, grinning. Yamcha landed behind him, looking at Neka a bit nervously. They both looked more or less the same. Krillin short and bald and Yamcha with his scarred face and long black hair in a pony tail with that strange little floating cat thing called Puar on his shoulder.

"You three better have a good excuse to be here," said Neka indifferently, "Goku's learning how to fly today. Even if I have to throw him into the sky until he gets it down."

Krillin laughed, "We just came to visit our friends, we need a better reason than that?"

"You do if you want me to let you leave unscathed," Neka growled.

"Hey, Neka is that your Scouter on your face?" asked Yamcha, "Hasn't Goku taught you how to sense power levels without it yet?"

Neka clenched her fists, narrowing her eyes dangerously. Yes, Goku had attempted, but Neka hadn't gotten the concept. She tried, but only managed to barely get a sense of Goku, and she thought that was only because they were Bonded. It took too much patience, one thing in which Neka was severely lacking in. She had gotten so frustrated with the whole thing she had ended up injuring Goku so badly she had to go get him a sensu bean.

Goku hadn't held it against her. Another thing Neka was always surprised by with him. He always forgave her, no matter how crazy or outlandish her actions were.

"If you really want to see if sensing your stupid 'chi' truly matters, why don't you try to attack me, scar face, see what happens," she growled.

Yamcha held up his hands as if in surrender, "Whoa, no need, I wasn't trying to insult you, princess," he smirked.

Neka sighed and turned on her heel, "I would assume that you're here to see Goku. He's in the house. Make it quick, we're busy today."

"We came to see you too, Neka," said Krillin as he walked to her side and smiled at her, "I told you, friends, as in, plural."

Neka grunted and closed her eyes, "Please. It's been a year and I'm still not your friend, so stop trying. Or pretending. Or whatever."

"Well, she has improved," noted Yamcha, "At least we don't get blasted at outright when we come over. And she'd not even in her armor this time!"

"Yeah, Neka," said the little Puar thing in its high pitched voice, "Why are you in normal clothes?"

Neka's eye twitched, "If you all just came here to ask me stupid questions, maybe I will start blasting at you again when you morons show up!" she snarled.

"Neka why are you yelling- OH! Krillin! Yamcha and Puar too! Hi guys!" Goku came out of the house, beaming widely.

"Did you put away all the dishes?" Neka demanded.

Goku grinned at her sheepishly, "Well, all of them but one, it kinda broke."

"Idiot," sighed Neka, and started to stalk off, "You have an hour to socialize. When I get back, they better be gone and you better be ready to fly."

"We could help train him how to fly," said Krillin, grinning, "I mean, maybe Goku will respond better to us."

Neka shot back a murderous look, "Are you suggesting that you are a better teacher than I am?" she asked in a low tone.

Krillin blanched, waving his hands wildly, "Wah! N-no! Not at all, Neka, I'm just saying that w-we might be able to teach him since we used to all train together under Master Roshi and we're used to each other's fighting styles is all!" he laughed nervously.

Neka glared at them a moment longer then scoffed and turned, her tail twitching irritbably "Fine, whatever," she said, "I could use the rest of the day off anyway. If he's not flying by the time I return, I'll make sure that you'll never fly again, Krillin."

"What! Why am I being singled out?!" Krillin wailed.

"Because you're the one who suggesting teaching Goku yourself, idiot," said Neka.

"But Yamcha teased you and he's not getting any crap?" Krillin asked desperately.

"HEY!" Yamcha cried, glaring at Krillin, "Don't you put her wrath on me too!"

"I'll be back at sunset, and anyone still here that annoys me loses a leg, how's that?!" Neka bellowed.

"No need to be so harsh, Neka," laughed Goku, though his laugh was good natured instead of nervous like the others, "I'll be zipping around the air by the time you get back home!"

"Tch," Neka turned, lashing her tail, "Whatever. We'll see."

She took off into the air at that, flying off toward West City. Though the Scouter going quiet was a slight relief, Neka did want to double check some things. And the only one who could do that for her was Bulma.

Over the year, Neka had to admit, out of all Goku's friends, she found Bulma the least irritating. She still did certain things that infuriated Neka, true, but since she wasn't a fighter and didn't even claim to be, Neka could accept her weakness a bit more readily. She also respected her intelligence. Bulma would know if it was her Scouter or if it was Vegeta's Scouter that was messing up with the signal. If it was Vegeta's, it could mean that his was destroyed, which wasn't something to freak out over too badly, the things got damaged all the time in battle, but it was possible that something may have happened to Vegeta himself. Another less harsh possibility would be that he just got a new Scouter to upgrade. By now, surely a new model had been released. They upgraded the things constantly.

The large Capsule Corp building was easy to spot from the air compared to the rest of the city. Neka touched down and strode to the door, trying one last time to attempt to reach her brother's Scouter to no avail. Nothing but static on her end. The door opened before she could reach it, and Bulma's mother came out carrying a basket full of dirty clothing. She paused in surprise when she spotted Neka. Assuming she did spot her. The woman never opened her eyes for some reason.

"Oh, Neka, how good of you to visit!" she said in a cheery voice.

Neka had long since learned it was impossible to be harsh to this woman. It simply didn't work. She just countered back with that cheery tone and smile. It was like she knew Neka wasn't actually going to do anything. It infuriated her. Neka instead worked with just being blunt to spend the least amount of time possible with her.

"Where's Bulma?" she asked flatly.

"Oh, she's in her lab," said the blond woman happily, "You know her, always tinkering away at something! She's so much like her father!"

"Yeah, whatever," Neka mumbled and went past her and into the building.

The layout of the building still confused Neka a bit, but she knew how to get to the lab from the main door by memory. She swiftly made her way and eventually found the door and shoved it open without bothering to knock.

Bulma was sitting at a table with a huge scrap of metal and wires in front of her, tools in her hands and goggles over her eyes as she worked over it. Neka strode up to her side when Bulma didn't notice her arrival and flicked off one of the metal pieces onto the floor.

"Augh!" Bulma wailed, "Neka, you could just call my name! You might have damaged it!" she scrambled to collect it from the floor.

Neka watched her impatiently as she pulled the Scouter from her ear, "I think it's broken," she said.

Bulma straightened up as she examined the bit of metal she retrieved.

"Alright I think it's intact…" she muttered.

"Did you hear me, Earth woman?" snapped Neka.

"I thought we were on first name basis after a year?" Bulma asked irritably as she set down the hunk of metal and then snatched the Scouter from Neka's hand, "What's it doing?"

"I can't get a signal from the Scouter I've been spying on anymore," said Neka, "There's a possibility that the owner swapped for a new one or his got destroyed in battle, but I wanted to ensure it wasn't on my end just in case."

"Has it been hit or anything recently?" asked Bulma as she opened the small hatch in the side of it and pulled out a tiny screwdriver.

"Goku accidently dropped it the other day when he was trying to see how it worked," sighed Neka.

"And you let him try?" laughed Bulma, "I'm surprised."

Neka glanced away, "He insisted he needed to try it to prove how much better sensing power on one's own is."

"Or is it that you're getting a little soft with him?" Bulma asked, smirking.

Neka shot her a glare, "That's nothing of the sort," though even to herself her voice sounded uncertain.

Bulma laughed again, "Come on, Neka, we both know that you've calmed way down since you first showed up here."

Neka grunted, crossing her arms and looking away again.

"I mean, you're even wearing human clothes now," Bulma said, "They look great on you, by the way."

Goku had said the same thing. Neka snorted, "It's hygienic. I cannot wear the same armor every single day, it needs to be washed and kept pristine. Not to mention I prefer to save it for battle. That way you weaklings will know if I'm wearing it you better stand clear."

"Sure, whatever makes you feel better, Neka," said Bulma, "And it looks like a piece got jogged loose here. I think that's what's messing with the signal. If I just place it back like so…"

The speaker exploded into life, much louder than normal. Neka flinched at the sudden burst of sound.

"Woops!" Bulma began to tinker some more, "Sorry, I must have nudged something else and it increased the volume- uh, let's see-"

However before she could do more, voices began to cut through the static. Neka froze when she recognized Vegeta's.

"No! You call that an attack? This is absolutely pathetic, how do you expect to ever get stronger when you're not even trying?!" he spat harshly.

Raditz's voice responded heatedly, "I'm sorry, Vegeta, but we just can't keep up with you. We're doing our best."

"Your best is ridiculous," Vegeta snarled, "I never had to deal with this shit when Neka was here. Is royal blood really that much of a difference between the likes of you two sorry saps and us?"

Bulma's eyes sharply went up to meet Neka's. Neka felt her breath catch, her eyes widening.

"We all grieve her, Vegeta," Nappa's voice spoke, "But we can't replace her."

"Damn right you can't," Vegeta muttered and there was the sound of something smashing as he most likely hit something in his rage, "The death of my sister will not be forgiven. It won't be forgotten. One day Frieza will pay the ultimate price for what he's done…"

The speaker returned to harsh static, and Bulma fiddled with it some before the sound cut completely. She slowly closed the hatch and then set the Scouter and screwdriver on the table then looked up at Neka, crossing her arms.

"So it wasn't just anyone you were spying on, then?" she asked.

Neka felt like she was rooted to the spot. She swallowed and it felt like a brick was crawling down her throat. She took a breath and closed her eyes.

"That was a conversation you were never meant to hear," she murmured.

"Well I heard it," Bulma stated flatly.

Neka sighed, and sat down in one of the chairs by the lab table. She folded her legs up and scowled at her knees, "Goku mustn't know about this," she said sharply.

"Why not?" asked Bulma, "You have a brother out there. Someone you care about. Goku knew too, didn't he? This is the guy that he knew you would always think about. He just never knew exactly who it was. This Vegeta."

"Silence," spat Neka, eyes darting up to meet Bulma's, "Listen to me. One day, maybe I'll tell Goku. But it is my business to tell and not yours, understand?"

"On one condition," said Bulma, leaning back in her chair.

"That being?"

"Tell me. Tell me your story, Neka. I think someone deserves to know at this point and if it's not going to be Goku, then why not me since I already know this?" Bulma said, "Besides. Talking about things will get them out of your system. It could make you feel better."

"I don't need your pity," snarled Neka, "I don't have to tell you shit."

"I could tell Goku about this Vegeta."

"You manipulative bitch…" sighed Neka, closing her eyes and scowling again, "Fine, whatever. But if you tell anyone anything, rest assured, I will kill you. Understand?" she glared daggers at Bulma, and she meant every single word.

Bulma looked a bit nervous at the intensity in Neka's gaze, and Neka knew the human girl knew she was speaking the truth.

"Alright, fine, deal," said Bulma.

Neka sighed again, leaning back into her chair, "So I guess I'll start with the simplest part. That man you heard, Vegeta, is my twin brother. Prince of all Saiyans. You've heard me boast about how there was only one other Saiyan on par with my skills. Well that was him."

"A twin, huh?" Bulma asked, "From what I heard he sounded as vicious as you were when you first arrived."

"Possibly even more so," admitted Neka, "I was always cold hearted, but Vegeta took it to new levels. He would deliberately create situations to turn around and destroy. He's more devious than I. He knows how to really reach in, find one's greatest hope and crush it before their eyes, whereas I just like to destroy everything. Or I did, I suppose," Neka mumbled, hating to admit that she had changed so much.

"So what's the story? Who was this 'Frieza' I heard? That's the one who tried to kill you?" Bulma asked.

Neka looked up at the ceiling, hating with her deepest upmost passion what she was about to say, "Let me just start from the beginning."

So Neka told her. She told Bulma everything, from the day Planet Vegeta was destroyed, being employed by Frieza and his men, how she murdered thousands of innocent lives, how she destroyed planets that were of no use, how she was a complete and total monster. She told her of her and Vegeta's father, how he risked everything to protect them, even to the point of allowing them to be taken in by Frieza, knowing it would be terrible but also keep them alive. How Frieza would threaten to kill their father if they didn't comply to his rules, and then he killed him anyway, along with their entire race.

Neka refused to shed tears, but she did feel her eyes burn a bit.

"In a way," she was said, "If it wasn't for Frieza, it's possible I wouldn't be like this at all. But understand that I don't regret anything," her tone hardened, "I became strong from what I went through. It made me the warrior I am today."

She finished up with how Frieza tricked her into checking that empty planet, and how the strange alien had been the sole survivor and infused her with the Bond technique, then detailed Bulma about the conversation she had with Frieza before Zarbon's ship arrived and attacked, sending her hurtling to Earth. As she wrapped up, she realized it was nearly the hour of sundown. Goku and the others were probably wondering where she was.

"Neka…" Bulma shook her head, "I'd say I'm sorry but I think you'd blow my head off."

"Very intuitive of you," said Neka dryly. She felt exhausted from the monologue. It had brought up hundreds of memories she had never wanted to become unburied.

"So that's it then? You want to kill this Frieza?" Bulma asked.

"It's what I'm training for," said Neka, "But we aren't even strong enough to face Zarbon or Dodoria in our present state. Let alone the Ginyu Force. Then Frieza would be the next step above them. Vegeta seems to be doing the same. I've been keeping an ear turned toward him to make sure he didn't do anything brash, but he's been pretending to be loyal to Frieza and clueless to the reality of my 'death'."

"You've never spoken to him? Never told him you're alive?" asked Bulma, "He's your brother."

"Frieza could possibly be able to pick up any signal I put out," said Neka, "And even if you made some way to cloak it, do you realize what my brother would do? He would come here."

"So?" Bulma blinked.

Neka pinched the bridge of her nose, "Let me explain something to you. The only reason that I didn't destroy this entire world when I first arrived was because I was Bonded to Goku. Vegeta would have to such restrictions. Believe it or not, I think he would be incredibly disappointed in me," she added bitterly, "For how weak I've become. How soft. He would take me, and Goku since there's the possibility that if Goku dies I could too, and he would obliterate your whole planet."

"But why?" wailed Bulma, "He has no reason to destroy the planet!"

"Vegeta doesn't need one," said Neka flatly, "But reason enough would be that in his mind, it was this world that made me soft. One day, I will see my brother again, and I just hope that he understands that I've done all this for him," she glared at the ground, "To keep him safe."

"So Goku was right," said Bulma, "You do have emotions. And emotions for someone, and have someone close to you."

"Yes, fine, whatever, Goku was right," Neka waved her off, "But he doesn't hear about any of this, understand?"

"Yeah, okay," said Bulma with a sigh, "It would be better if he heard it from you, anyway."

Neka stood and snatched her Scouter, "Your services were appreciated," she muttered and turned.

"You could just say, 'thank you'," said Bulma.

Neka glanced back to see her smirking a bit. Despite herself, Neka smirked back, "Fine, then. Thank you, Bulma. But don't forget that I will turn you into ash if you say anything."

"What are best friends for?" Bulma laughed.

Neka left the room at that, rolling her eyes. But she had to admit, as she flew back home, she did feel better. It was like a weight had been lifted from her. She had never told anyone about her past. Never spoken about it with anyone but Vegeta. Somehow, telling everything to Bulma had made her feel relieved. Was she ready to tell Goku? No, by no means, but it was a step.

That's all that had been happening since she got here, she guessed. Steps. Steps to becoming soft and weak. But was it really? Neka was getting training in areas that weren't physical here on Earth. With patience and restraint, something she never worked on before.

Was it weakness to hold back?

Or did it take true strength to do so?

Neka got closer and closer to home as her mind buzzed with new thoughts. All of this, her changing and her inner conflict, had all been set off by just one person. Goku. How could one soul be so powerful to rock Neka's entire world?

Vegeta…

His signal had gone quiet again, but Neka guessed he had taken off his Scouter to rest. She realized now that instead of longing for him to arrive and take down this little planet, she was beginning to get anxiety about when the day would come when she met her brother again. What would he think of Goku? She knew that Vegeta would never get along with Goku's spirit and find it disgusting that Neka had grown to it. But maybe for her, he would put up with him? Maybe…

All her life was riding on now were maybes.

But Neka knew somehow life without Goku wouldn't be the same. She could never just go back to the way she was before. He had scarred her internally. But…

Maybe…

Yes, just maybe…

The scarring wasn't scarring at all. But stains of beauty.

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

_** I added in the cooking/singing scene because I was listening to Florence and the Machine the other day and decided that they would be Neka's favorite band if she ever listened to music. To any of you who knew the song when you read the first verse, KUDOS POINTS TO YOU! I also decided that Goku and Neka's song is Kiss with a Fist by Florence and the Machine. Look it up if you haven't heard it. It's perfect for them, though it may not apply to them perfectly just yet, but close. I also heard Fix You by Coldplay while I was writing the part when Goku told Neka he liked her singing and it seemed to fit somewhat for how he feels about her, minus the versus about crying because come on, Neka? Crying? That would take A LOT. **_

_**As always. Thanks so much for all the favs, follows, and reviews. I am still super shocked this story took off so well. I wasn't expecting nearly as many favs/follows at this point in the story as what I have. You guys never cease to amaze me! Thanks from both myself and Neka.**_

_**-Red.**_


	14. Birthday Surprises

"Goku, I seriously am wondering if this is a good idea…"

Goku glanced over at Krillin with a frown, "Why wouldn't it be?" he asked.

They were speaking in low voices in the kitchen, quickly setting up the table to the best of their abilities.

"Well," Krillin sighed, looking at him, "I just have a feeling she might just get annoyed more than anything. And possibly blast one of us through the wall."

"Ah, she wouldn't do that to Bulma," Goku assured.

"What about us?!"

"I've improved a lot with her training, so going through a wall isn't so bad, actually," said Goku.

"Then what about me?" Krillin pouted.

"Well, uh, just dodge when I tell you to," Goku grinned.

Krillin shook his head, "Goku, I still don't get why you like this girl so much…" he muttered.

Goku thought about answering his old friend, but he didn't think he could find the words to describe how he felt about Neka. It had been three years now since she came into his life. It had been a very subtle process, but Neka had come an incredibly long way since landing. Her attitude was more or less the same, but Goku knew that she was much calmer, that she had come to the point that she didn't completely detest this world and the people in it, at least, not as much as she did.

"Oh, hey, it looks okay," came Bulma's voice in a surprised tone.

Goku turned to see her coming into the home holding a large box as Krillin let out an indignant grunt.

"Why do you sound so shocked? Of course it looks okay!" he said, gesturing to the laid out table that he and Goku had just spent the last half hour on.

"Well, I just expected for there to be at least one broken plate," said Bulma as she set the box in the middle of the table.

Goku glanced toward the trash can in which were the remains of a shattered dish and laughed a little, stepping in front of it so Bulma wouldn't see, "Well we were very careful," he said, then with a huge grin and big eyes, he asked, "Is that the cake?"

"Sure is," said Bulma, opening the lid, "What do you think?"

Goku looked in and grinned.

The cake was a large round thing with white frosting. Written on it in regal purple frosting were the words, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEKA".

"It's perfect!" said Goku, grinning at Bulma, "Thanks, Bulma!"

"Hm, I was wondering how you were going to handle dinner since Neka's the cook," said Bulma, glancing over at the kitchen, "Did you, uh, heh, make that yourself, Goku?"

Goku glanced back at the smoldering heap of burnt fish on the stove. He laughed and looked back at Bulma, "Yeah, not exactly as good as Neka's cooking but…"

"Good thing I brought a back up," sighed Bulma as she popped a capsule and tossed it onto the table.

From it exploded several plates of mountains of food from roasted chicken to steaming rice and chopped steak. Goku felt his mouth water just from the smell.

"Oh, but keep the burnt fish," said Bulma with a grin, "Neka has to see that."

"By the way, how did you convince her to stay out of the house without training you for three hours?" asked Krillin.

Goku smirked a bit, "It took a little creative thinking. And I'm pretty sure Yamcha might be a little angry…"

"Wait, what did you do?" Bulma demanded.

"Well! Yamcha said he needed some money and I offered to give him some in exchange for a favor," Goku said.

*.*.*

Neka stopped over the field, glaring down at it with her arms crossed. Her tail lashed behind her, and her armor gleamed slightly in the sun.

"Come out!" she hollered, "I know you're down there!"

About two hours ago, the little insect came by their house to visit. It had interrupted her training session with Goku, which pissed her off to begin with. But when the little shit started blatantly insulting her, that was it.

Game over.

Yamcha was somewhere below her in the corn field, and he was suppressing his power level so her Scouter couldn't pick it up. Unfortunately, she still wasn't very good at detecting the power levels on her own yet. It could possibly be due to the fact that she just simply did not want to deal with it since it proved Goku right.

"You have three seconds!" Neka bellowed, "Or I wipe out the entire field!" she held out a hand and a red orb of power began to form there.

"Shitshitshit!"

She saw Yamcha explode out of the corn a few yards away and fly off at his top speed. Which wasn't much compared to Neka's. But he had still managed to keep evading her for two hours, so she had to give him some credit. Neka darted down at him, hand outstretched to catch him by the collar.

"SOLAR FLARE!" wailed Yamcha twisting and maneuvering his hands in the same motion.

Light shot straight into her eyes and blinded Neka. She yelped and covered them, cursing under her breath. She should have seen that coming. Goku had used it a good few times on her. Seems everyone on this planet borrowed each other's moves constantly.

"Son of a bitch!" spat Neka when she finally got her sight again and Yamcha was nowhere to be seen.

She pressed the function on her Scouter. Nothing. Neka looked each direction wondering where in the hell he decided to run this time. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to sense power without her Scouter. He HAD to expel even a little bit if he was flying. She tried to remember what Goku taught her.

_"Let go of your surroundings, concentrate only on the chi around you, then, pinpoint who you're looking for!"_

Yeah, easier said than done, defect.

Neka took another deep breath. And…

There!

Neka let out a wild victorious laugh and rocketed off. There was a small wooded area at the edge of the field. She rushed down and landed on the outskirts, walking in and glaring around her, still holding on to the small sense of Yamcha she had. It was slipping. She had to follow it fast before she lost it. Or he suppressed it completely.

Neka crouched, and then with a quick breath, went sprinting into the woods at wild speed. She weaved through the trees, the green all a blur, and then she saw a flare of orange.

"GOTCHA!"

Neka shot off a small blast that landed at Yamcha's feet, making him yelp in surprise and fall over. She leapt at him, landing on top of him and pinning him to the ground with her forearm to his throat.

"So tell me," she said with an evil grin on her face as she leaned down further, "How exactly is it that I'm the unintelligent one when I could track you here?"

"I- I was j-just saying that you seemed to lack the capacity to handle s-sensing chi-" Yamcha began but cut off when Neka pressed her arm tighter to his neck.

"What? What is it you want now, Raditz, can't you see I'm still getting ready?"

The voice came from her Scouter, making Neka freeze.

"I'm sorry, Vegeta, but something's come up," said Raditz' voice from farther off, "Apparently we need to turn in our Scouters."

"What? What for?" Vegeta demanded.

"Lord Frieza says that some of his men detected that there seems to be some sort of untraceable feed hacking into our com chat," said Raditz slowly, "More specifically, yours."

Vegeta was silent for a moment. Neka felt her breath leave her body. She fell back off of Yamcha, her eyes wide as she stared into the distance.

"Neka? Neka what's wrong?" asked Yamcha, sitting up and looking at her.

"Shut up!" Neka snapped at him and pressed a hand over her Scouter to hear better as Vegeta spoke again.

"Untraceable?"

"That's correct, sir."

"… Interesting," Vegeta's voice was low and thoughtful, "So some spy perhaps? But where would anyone get my Scouter info…"

_No, please_, Neka begged silently. She knew how intelligent her twin was. She could not have him figure it out. She could not have him go looking for her. She missed him terribly, but Frieza only needed just one excuse. Her heart was hammering. That wasn't the only reason. She realized now that as much as she longed to see her brother again, she was terrified of that fateful day. Terrified that he would look at this world and Goku, things to which she had grudgingly grown fond over, and destroy them all before her eyes. Punishment for growing weak here.

_No_, thought Neka harshly, _I have not grown weak_.

True strength was not all in body. She had learned this the past years.

"Very well," said Vegeta suddenly, "And, whoever may be listening to this…"

Neka held her breath.

"Best you hide yourself well. If I find you, things will not end well for you."

Click.

The com cut.

Neka let out her breath, falling back in the grass. That was very generic of Vegeta to say. Hopefully he didn't know it was her. Hopefully, he would forget about that whole incident.

But one thing was for certain. Her times of stalking her brother's com chat were over. Three years she had listened to him train and struggle. She knew he had to be stronger than her by now, since she had no one on her level to train with. Goku was getting there, slowly but surely. But it wasn't enough.

"Neka?"

Neka lifted her head to see Yamcha kneeling over her, looking concerned. Hadn't she just been strangling him and now he was worried? Humans were weird.

"I'm fine, stop looking at me like that," she grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the back of her neck.

Bulma.

She had to talk to Bulma.

"Let's go back," said Neka, standing up and glancing at Yamcha, "Do you want a lift or will I just see you in an hour on your pathetic speed?"

"Hey, I flew fast enough to keep away from you!" Yamcha defended.

"You're pushing it."

"Okay! I'm sorry," Yamcha muttered, "Shit Goku did not pay me enough to do this."

"Wait, Goku did what?" Neka perked a brow.

"Oh- Shit!" Yamcha waved his hands, "Uh! That's not what I meant, I mean-"

Neka grabbed the front of Yamcha's jumper making him yelp. She hadn't been keeping track of the bond while chasing down Yamcha. Now that she felt to him, she could tell Goku was feeling quite excited and smug about something.

"He knows I hate surprises," snarled Neka, and then tucked Yamcha under an arm before rocketing back toward the house in the woods.

*.*.*

Goku looked around as he finished setting the last plate.

"She's coming back!" he gasped.

He could feel Neka and Yamcha's power signatures quickly returning. What was more, Neka was frustrated. Most of that frustration was directed at Goku himself.

"Aw man, I think she knows," he pouted.

"Well hopefully Yamcha didn't spill all the beans," said Bulma with a laugh.

"Hide!" Goku said, shutting off the lights and ducking down behind the counter. Krillin rushed into the hall and Bulma went and crouched down on the other side of the table.

Goku heard Neka touch down outside and then there was a THUD and a yelp.

"Hey! You didn't need to throw me on the ground!" Yamcha's voice protested.

"Call it payback for calling me stupid," snapped Neka, "You're lucky it's not worse than that."

"Bitch…"

"What was that?!"

"N-Nothing!"

Neka let out an irritated grunt and then the door slammed open. She stepped inside and glared around. Goku felt his heart jump a bit at the sight of her. She was in her armor since they were training this morning, and her small hands were on her hips, her face harsh in her annoyance and anger. But still, Goku thought to himself, she was beautiful as always.

"Surprise!" he cried and jumped out in front of her as Krillin and Bulma both popped up, the latter hitting the lights on.

WAM!

Goku yelped as a fist hit his face and he fell onto the ground. He groaned in pain, clutching his nose as he looked up at Neka, who was scowling down at him, her fist still out.

"You know I hate surprises!" she snapped at him as she dropped her hand slowly, but it opened as she held it out to him to help him back up.

Goku laughed nervously and took it, letting her pull him roughly to his feet before she instantly let go of his hand and slowly walked over to the table, glaring down at this, "What is-" she then spotted the cake, and the anger in her face fell into one of shock.

Goku could feel it through the bond. She had completely forgotten that today was her birthday. It had been hard enough discovering what day her birthday was. Goku remembered that conversation with a slight smile. They had been taking a break in training, eating fruit down by the river in the woods.

_ "So, Neka," Goku had prompted, "When's your birthday?"_

_ "My what?" Neka asked dully, glancing at him._

_ "You know! The day you were born! To show how many years old you are!"_

_ "I think you're forgetting that I come from outer space and while I know the date I was born on in my home world, it would not apply the same to this one," said Neka swiftly, "Besides, what does it matter?"_

_ "Well," Goku had leaned back in the grass, smiling at her as she cast him back one of her annoyed looks that he had grown fond over, "On this world, when it's someone's birthday, we give them gifts and a party to celebrate another year of life!"_

_ "That's ridiculous," Neka muttered._

_ "No, not at all," insisted Goku, "It's how friends show one another they care."_

_ "Friend or not, Goku, I don't need such stupid things," growled Neka, looking away, "What sort of gifts could you possibly give me from this world?"_

_ "Food?"_

_ "… Okay, but that's just one thing."_

_ Goku laughed and sat up, scooting closer to her so that their legs nearly touched. Neka cast him a surprised look, but she didn't move away, only asking, "What are you doing?"_

_ "Come on, Neka, just tell me!" Goku said with a big grin, "I promise if you do I'll train really hard for the rest of the day!"_

_ "You'll already do that," said Neka, leaning away from him._

_ Goku grabbed her arm, making her grunt in irritation, "But really hard! I'll go full out and even catch the fish for tonight's dinner afterwards."_

_ "You're promising me stuff you'll already do," said Neka, ripping out of his grip._

_ "Well, what about if I don't talk for the rest of the day?" Goku asked._

_ Neka perked a brow, "At all?"_

_ "At all!"_

_ "Hmm…" Neka frowned thoughtfully, "Alright. But if you say even one word, I'm going to punch you across the woods and you have to sleep outside."_

_ "Deal!"_

_ "Let's see," Neka messed with her Scouter for a moment, "According to this, and based on Earth's trajectory… my 'birthday' as you called it is two hundred and sixty-eight days away. I don't know what date that falls on in your calendars."_

Goku quickly committed the number to memory, and then stayed true to his word, not speaking to Neka until the next day, when he went to see Bulma while Neka was still asleep. Bulma was the one who figured out the date it landed on. But it appeared that Neka had been so busy this past year that she had completely forgotten that she had even told Goku, let alone that today was her birthday.

She stared down at the cake, speechless.

"Uh…" Goku started to get worried she was getting ready to get angry, "Neka?" he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Neka stared down at the cake still, blinking. "Why did you do this?" she asked softly.

Goku blinked in surprised, "Huh? Why?" Goku laughed, "Neka, isn't that obvious? Because I like you! We all like you, you're our friend!"

Neka slowly shook her head and took a step back, "I still don't understand how you all could possibly want a friend like me."

"Don't get us wrong," said Yamcha as he stepped into the home, "When you first showed up, I was pretty sure that you were going to end up trying to destroy the world, bonded with Goku or not. But over the years you've changed. We've all grown to like you in our own ways. Personally, I like how determined you are, how you won't stop at anything to achieve your goal, no matter how hard the path gets. That takes true strength."

"And I like how much patience you have," said Krillin, making Neka look over at him in surprise, "Yeah, doesn't sound like you, huh? Well, it's true, because over the past years you've gained some amazing patience to be able to deal with this guy," he elbowed Goku, "But it's also very fun to see how well the two of you work for each other."

"And believe it or not, you're style is one of the reasons I like you," Bulma added with a smirk, "You hold yourself up with such pride, it's amazing. Every woman should be like that. You're not afraid to show who you are to anyone."

Neka shook her head slowly, and for a second, Goku thought that she was going to get angry and blast the cake away or something rash. But then, his heart lifted when he saw that rare smile bloom on her face as she looked up and around at everyone.

"I… thank you," she said softly.

She turned to face Goku, still smiling lightly, "And what about you, then Goku?"

Goku grinned back at her, "I like all of those things, Neka, and more," he said, "Like how you won't let me rest, you keep pushing me and challenging me in so many different ways to become stronger and better than I am. You've taught me so much since you came here, even past just fighting. I wanted to show you how much you mean to me."

Neka smiled at him for a moment longer, and then-

WAM!

"AUCK!" Goku fell to the floor again, and then sat up, clutching his chek, his eyes watering from the pain of the punch, "What was that for?" he asked.

"For being stupid enough to surprise me when you know I hate surprises!" Neka snapped, hands on her hips as she glared down at him.

"But…" Goku got to his feet, pouting as he wondered if he got a black eye from that or not, "I thought-"

He cut off when he felt arms suddenly latch around him. Goku looked down to see Neka's head buried in his chest for just a heartbeat before she stepped back, ending the hug as quickly as it started, her cheeks red as she glared at the ground.

"And that was for being brave enough to surprise me when you know I hate surprises," she muttered.

Goku felt warmth go all through him. Neka had never made physical contact like that with him before. Ever. It was always fighting and training or smacking him around for being an idiot. But that- that was different. It was… affectionate.

Goku beamed, "Alright!" he said cheerfully, "Let's eat!"

The ending to a perfect day, he thought, not only did he manage to make Neka smile and get a hug from her, but he got to have all this food too!

Goku felt like this day was a big step. Neka had changed a lot over the years, but this day in particular had been a milestone. She had made so much progress in training of her own, training to let the icy grip on her heart lessen and for warmth to come in. And as he watched her laugh and talk with the others as they ate, he knew.

He knew that she was the girl he wanted to be with for the rest of his life.


	15. Acceptance

Neka woke in her bed feeling things that she never thought herself capable. Emotions. Raw and wild. They were roaring through her chest like fire. She wasn't sure if she regarded the feeling with hatred or relished in it. Probably both.

It had been two months since she had heard her brother's voice. She had yet to confide to Bulma about it, and somehow today felt like the right day to do it. She had to talk to someone, and so far with her stay on Earth, Bulma was the only one she felt that she truly could speak to, since she already knew about Vegeta. Slowly, Neka sat up and pulled on some regular human clothing, jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, and then some sneakers before heading out into the hall.

Goku's room was across from hers. He didn't sleep with his door shut like Neka did, and she could see him still asleep in his bed from where she was. The sight of him sprawled out there with the sheets tangled around his body made her smile a little. Yes. She admitted fully now that the defect had grown on her quite a bit. He was still an infuriating moron. But he was her infuriating moron.

Neka left the home without waking him. She would most likely return home before he woke anyway. She kicked off the ground and flew off toward West City, her hands stuffed in her pockets. She made decent time, the city blooming out beneath her and she quickly spotted the large dome that was the Capsule Corp building. She landed lightly at the front door and strode inside without knocking. Bulma had tried to teach her how to ring the call bell, but Neka never bothered with it.

_"What for? You'll let me in anyway, it's a waste of time,"_ she had snapped at the human girl.

As she walked down the halls of the building she now knew quite well, she wondered what part of it Bulma was in right then. She rounded a corner and blinked in mild surprise at the sight of Bulma's father just before he ran into her and fell backwards with a yelp. Neka stood there, frowning down at him, hands still in her pockets, tail curling with slight annoyance behind her.

"You losing your sight already, old man?" she grunted.

Dr. Briefs looked up at her and perked a brow as he readjusted the black kitten on his shoulder, "Oh, Neka. I wondered who had come in the front door when the indicators went off."

"Maybe you should lock it. Not that it would matter against me," Neka shrugged then sighed and held out a hand to him, "Come on, geezer."

"Oh! Thank you," Dr. Briefs accepted her hand and Neka pulled him roughly to his feet before swiftly returning her hand to her pocket and glaring at him.

"Where's Bulma?"

"In the garage, working on the cycles today," said Dr. Briefs, "Just please, be careful not to break anything during your stay this time," he laughed nervously.

"Tch," Neka went passed him, heading toward the garage, "No promises, old man."

She heard him give an exasperated sigh behind her. Dr. Briefs had always been polite to Neka, and never really seemed scared of her rather than wary. Neka was fairly certain he only put up with her because she was Bulma's friend though.

In the garage, Bulma was laying on her stomach, messing with one of the wheels on a cycle vehicle. She was in overalls and had a bandana on her head, oil and grease smudged all over her. She glanced over when Neka stepped in and cast her a grin.

"Oh hey, Neka. What's up? Goku's not with you this time?"

"I want to talk," said Neka flatly.

"Oh okay, so he isn't with you," Bulma said, looking back at her work, "Well, take a seat, I'm all ears."

Neka began to pace rather than sit, "You remember the surprise party that you all threw about two months ago?"

"Yeah," said Bulma, "What, are you angry about it now? Did it just take a while for it to piss you off?" she laughed.

"No," said Neka sharply, cutting off Bulma's laughter, "I heard something interesting from Vegeta the same day, earlier."

"Oh, you know what, I was wondering about what Yamcha was talking about when he mentioned you freaking out," her face twisted in slight anger, "Mind you I haven't even seen the jerk since then," she looked over at Neka, "So what was it? Is he okay?"

"I wouldn't know, I haven't heard from him since then," mumbled Neka.

She recapped the story to Bulma and finally sat down on one of the stools when she finished, scowling and glaring at the ground.

"Interesting, I was certain with the technology samples I got from your Scouter that your signal wouldn't be able to be detected, at least it was still untraceable," said Bulma, sitting up and frowning, "I'm guessing they upgraded their tech and it was more advanced than my own. I should have been checking on it regularly."

"It's not your fault," said Neka offhandedly, "In any case, I'm not sure whether…"

"Whether your brother knows it's you?"

Neka sighed, "The way he reacted, it was give or take. But if he does know, I'm not sure what he's planning to do."

"Well, let me see the Scouter," said Bulma, getting to her feet and pulling over a small desk on wheels, "I'll see if I can somehow get the connection up with a block so they can't detect-"

"No."

Bulma paused and looked over at Neka, perking a brow, "No?"

Neka hiked up her legs and folded them crisscross on the stood, her arms mimicking the motion, and glared at the ground, "Didn't you hear a word I said? They got new Scouters. Which means I no longer possess the frequency to link mine to. It would be a waste of time."

"Oh, I suppose that's true, huh?" Bulma frowned, "But aren't you going to be worried?"

Neka glanced away from her, "About what? Vegeta?" she scoffed, closing her eyes, "I've been listening to the same boring training routine for the past three years. I'm guessing that's not going to change. Besides. I could use with one less distraction. I need to focus on training Goku. The only thing I was listening for was for any signs that they might find that I was still alive, and if it hasn't happened in three years' time, it probably won't."

"But you want to see your brother again one day, don't you?" prodded Bulma.

Neka flicked her dark eyes toward the human girl, "Of course I do, idiot, but I don't want him coming here before we're ready."

"It's 'we're ready' now, is it?" Bulma smirked.

"What the hell are you getting at?" snapped Neka.

"It's just that you always used to preach that you were the one that had to be ready, and the only reason you were training Goku was that so he could defend himself enough to make sure you guys didn't pull a duel death. But for a while now, it seems like your thinking has changed a bit," said Bulma, returning to tinkering with her cycle.

"Don't get me wrong," growled Neka, "The defect still infuriates me constantly. But…" she sighed.

"What?" Bulma prompted.

"If Vegeta did ever show up here, I need to make sure that Goku would be strong enough to go up against him," said Neka softly.

"Huh?" Bulma stopped paying attention to the cycle and looked over at Neka, "What are you talking about? You're his sister, wouldn't he know about the Bond and not try to hurt Goku?"

"There's no pain sharing anymore, remember?" said Neka irritably, "And knowing Vegeta, he would blame this entire situation I'm in on Goku. He might not kill him in risk of killing me, but that won't stop him from beating the shit out of the moron…"

Bulma frowned over at Neka, "Hang on. You seem awfully concerned about Goku getting hurt, don't you beat the tar out of him on a daily basis?"

"That's training. Completely different," said Neka indifferently.

"But…" Bulma tilted her head, "You said so yourself, there's no pain sharing anymore. And if Vegeta didn't kill Goku, then what do you care if he gets hurt?"

Neka blinked in slight surprise. She felt her cheeks grow warm and she looked away from Bulma's accusing stare, "I… er… that is…"

"You actually care about Goku don't you?" gasped Bulma, eyes wide.

"Now hang on!" snapped Neka, "I never… I just…" she couldn't find the right words to defend herself in time.

"You totally do!" laughed Bulma, "Neka, you're actually crushing on him!"

"What is that supposed to mean?!" demanded Neka.

"Well I guess I can't blame you, he does have a rockin' bod' now, and he can be the perfect gentleman in some ways. 'Course since I've known him since he was a kid I never looked at him that way, that be pretty weird you know?" she laughed.

"Bulma what the hell are you going on about?" Neka snapped heatedly.

"You and Goku!" said Bulma with a big grin.

"What about us?"

"Neka, this is pretty sad if I can see this before you," said Bulma with a sigh, "You're starting to like Goku a lot more than just a normal friend, aren't you?"

"What- wait-" Neka's eyes widened in horror, "Are you talking about like a mate?"

"Is that what they call it where you're from?"

"Bulma that's absolutely absurd!" cried Neka, jumping up from her stool so fast it sent it toppling to the ground, "How dare you accuse me of such things! Goku is a low class defect Saiyan that can barely be called a warrior at all! I'm of royal Saiyan blood! Don't you understand that if I were to ever take a mate it would NEVER be with the likes of HIM?!"

"But if there's only like what, five Saiyans left, and one of them is your brother, what choice would you have anyway?" Bulma pointed out.

Neka's eye twitched. Her only real option in that department was only ever Raditz before she crashed here on Earth, and she hadn't wanted that to begin with. Raditz was a low class runt that barely had any fighting strength to begin with, and even though there were some similarities in how he looked to Goku, he wasn't nearly as dedicated and passionate as Goku was-

Wait! What was she thinking?! Why was she comparing Raditz to Goku? Why was she looking at Goku in this kind of light at all?!

"I can see it in your face, you're starting to realize it," Bulma giggled.

"Shut up!" barked Neka, clenching her fists, "You may know me better than any other insect on this rock, but do not make the mistake of believing you truly understand me!"

"Maybe you should be thinking about if you understand yourself, Neka," said Bulma, crossing her arms and giving her a knowing smirk, "It's been three years since you arrived. You've changed a lot, and you know that, but I don't think you realize _how_ you've changed. Admitting feelings for someone isn't necessarily a bad thing."

"Stop it! I don't have 'feelings' for Goku!" shouted Neka, turning on her heel and marching away, "Just because I have concern about him getting hurt doesn't mean something like that! It's just that…" she trailed off for a moment, clenching her jaw, "It's just that I don't want to owe him anything. After everything he's done for me since I crashed here. So I'll keep training him to make sure he doesn't get hurt on my account. It's purely to make us even. It has nothing to do with you're stupid perception of soft emotions or any of that crap. Got it?"

Bulma chuckled softly and turned back to her cycle, "Well, Neka, I guess I'll give that to you for now. But just one last thing before you go."

"What?" growled Neka.

"That speech you just gave… tell me was that really to convince me that you weren't getting feelings for Goku? Or was it to convince yourself?"

"Tch," Neka spat and left the room, storming out of the Capsule Corp building before blasting off into the sky. But she dared not return back to her home, terrified that if she saw Goku so soon after a talk like that, her mind might wonder about the way her stomach felt like it was swarming with butterflies right then.

*.*.*

Goku wandered through the woods, a frown on his face as he made his way to the river to fish. Neka had been gone when he woke up, and now it was nearly sunset and she hadn't returned. He could tell from the Bond that she was in a very strange mood, the weirdest one he had felt from her yet. Her emotions were so crazy it was hard to place which one she was feeling before it bounced to the next. It was like she couldn't make up her mind about something. In a way, it reminded Goku of a battle like what he had with Piccolo three years ago. Neka was having some inner conflict about something, and fighting with herself to an extreme. What was wrong? Goku wondered. But he knew that no matter how much he just wanted to go help her, going to Neka then seemed kind of like a bad idea. Whenever she got into her bad moods, Goku just ended up needing a sensu bean if he tried to comfort her. Neka was like that, she always wanted to deal with her problems alone, and hated asking anyone for any kind of help.

Even from Goku.

Quite suddenly, Goku sensed a familiar power source heading his way. He grinned up at the sky once he reached the edge of the river and waved as Krillin flew down toward him.

"Hi Goku, how's it going?" asked Krillin as he touched down, "I came to make sure you were still alive," he laughed, "You actually don't look nearly as beat up as usual when I visit you this time of day… hey, where's Neka, anyway?"

Goku rubbed the back of his neck, "When I woke up she was gone, but I know she's kind of close by."

"Why'd she run off without telling you?" asked Krillin, "Isn't she usually hard pressed to get you training?"

"Yeah, but… I dunno she's in a very strange mood today…" said Goku as he sat next to the river and stared out at the flowing water, "Hey, Krillin… you've had girls around you before right? Not Bulma or Launch, but other girls?"

"What, you mean like a girlfriend?" asked Krillin and laughed, "Well… actually… no, not yet," he sighed, "I've met plenty of gorgeous girls but none of them seem to have the time of day for me."

"And what exactly does it mean, to have a girlfriend?" asked Goku, leaning back on his elbows.

Krillin plopped down beside him, "Yeah, I forget that you were kind of raised in the woods and stuff," he laughed, "Well, when ya got a girlfriend, it means you're closer than just normal friends I guess. You do things like go out to eat and see movies and hold hands and stuff. And if you're lucky you get kisses now and then too," he winked.

"Kissing, right…" Goku said with a thoughtful frown.

He had never actually kissed a girl before. Or rather ever really thought about it. He had seen it happen on the TV and stuff before, and understood that most people found it pleasant if it was with the right person. Master Roshi always asked Bulma and Launch for kisses just to get smacked.

Would Neka hit him if he asked her for a kiss?

"Why the sudden interest, Goku?" asked Krillin, frowning over at him, "Is there a girl you like or something?"

"And there's more to it than that, right?" asked Goku, looking at Krillin, "I mean, I've seen videos and stuff of these things called 'weddings'."

"I think we need to get you out more," sighed Krillin, running a hand down his face, "Well, yeah, getting married is like the step after dating. It means you pledge to be together with someone forever because you love them. And you have kids and stuff."

Goku jumped to his feet, beaming, "That's it!" he cried happily, "That's perfect, Krillin! I'll just ask Neka to marry me!"

"Oh sure- wait- WHAT?!" bellowed Krillin, nearly falling over and then jumping to his feet too, "Goku what are you talking about?!"

Goku looked at Krillin in surprise, wondering why he seemed upset, "Well, if what you said is true about marriage being the thing that you do with the person you want to spend the rest of your life with because you love them, then why wouldn't I ask Neka?"

Krillin stared at Goku in what seemed like complete shock, "G-Goku- are you telling me that you love Neka?"

"Sure," said Goku with a grin, "Oh, but don't tell her that yet, I don't think it would go over well with her in the mood she is in right now."

"Since when did you fall in love with her?!" cried Krillin.

Goku wasn't sure why his friend was making such a big fuss over this whole thing. He had always liked Neka from when he very first met her, even when she was wild and nearly out of control. She was his biggest challenge in every single way, and she would never stop being a challenge. She was beautiful in ways that Goku didn't see in any other girls. He could look at her like he did the sunset and feel his breath get taken away. And she always pushed him to get stronger. So why was it a shock that he loved her?

But then he thought about Krillin's question. He supposed that there was that point that it went from liking Neka to being in love with her, a bridge in a sense. So when DID he cross that bridge? It had to have happened at some point because he didn't start off in love with her and he certainly didn't just plain like her currently. So when had it changed? Had it been so gradual that he didn't really take notice of it or had there been a milestone?

"You know," he said, placing his hands on his hips, "I'm not sure exactly when it happened but I know when I realized it!" he beamed.

"Is that so?" asked Krillin breathlessly.

"Sure!" said Goku cheerfully, "It was when we went to the city after she had been here for about two years. She doesn't like crowds much, so I grabbed her hand to make sure we didn't get separated and she didn't get angry at anyone. She didn't like that too much!" he laughed, remembering fondly about how Neka yelled at him for treating her like a child, "But, at the same time, she didn't take her hand away, even though I knew she could," he grinned at Krillin, "And as the sun started to set, we were in the town square where the big fountain is. The water caught the light and make it look like it was raining fire almost, it was beautiful! And Neka stared at it and let go of my hand and went over and just watched the water for a while. Her face glowed in the orange light in just the right way, you know? And I saw this new sort of light in her eyes. A spark, I guess. And I realized how much she had changed since we first met. I realized how pretty she is, you know like a field of flowers or the ocean on a calm day. And I thought about everything we had been through together up to that point and I just… just realized," he laughed again and smiled out at the river.

Krillin let out a sigh and sat back down, "Well when you put it like that, I guess it makes sense," he said, "And you've known all this time and haven't told her?"

"Well, I didn't realize that she was the one girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with until seeing how happy she was at her birthday party," Goku admitted, "And then I thought about what that means, you know? I had seen couples out in the city before and on the TV at Roshi's and Bulma's. I didn't know it was as easy as asking a question!" he laughed.

"Goku there's more to it than that," said Krillin, "Most of the time, people date first they don't just get married."

"Well you said that the dating thing is basically just the people spending time together right?"

"Well, yes, I suppose."

"Neka and I have been spending time together for three years!" said Goku with a grin, "And we've even held hands, like I told you."

"Goku it's different than that!" Krillin sighed, laying back in the grass in a heap.

"How?"

"It- it just is!" said Krillin, "Both people should be aware that they're dating! Neka doesn't even know you feel this way about her!"

"Well sure she does, she can feel it in the Bond every time I look at her," said Goku flatly.

Krillin opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it again, tilting his head to the side, "Huh. Didn't think of it like that."

"Yeah, I just haven't put it into words," said Goku, shifting a little, "Truth is I'm a little nervous to just outright tell her."

"Heh, well that's normal," laughed Krillin, "At least you got one part of this thing in the norm of things. But, I'll be honest, Goku, Neka seems pretty emotionally detached, I mean, she might not even realize what the feelings she's getting from you mean. I think you're going to have to tell her outright."

"Oh I know," said Goku, "I'll tell her when I ask her to marry me," he beamed.

Krillin let out an exasperated sigh again, "I still think you're crazy for just outright asking her to marry you."

"Well, I'll wait for a bit," said Goku, looking at the river, "After all, she's in this really strange mood today. It might not be the best time."

"Goku, you are one crazy piece of work," said Krillin, "But hey, if you love the girl? I'm here for ya man."

Goku grinned down at his old friend, "Thanks Krillin. This'll be great, I just know it!"

*.*.*

Neka had calmed down quite a bit after leveling one of the bluff filled wastelands. She hadn't had to do that for years. Goku had seemed cheerful when she finally returned, and didn't seem to notice her acting strange. That probably should have been her first clue that something was up.

About three months passed, and they were coming up on the four year mark on her arrival on Earth. Neka woke and sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. The terms she had come to over the past few months were not exactly ones that she wanted. Emotions were always soft and weakening. That was what she was taught.

But her experiences on this planet were making her see things in a new light. She never had wanted to admit that the defect she had been training these past few years was right all along… but…

Was Bulma right?

Was Neka getting feelings for Goku?

Neka bit her tongue and shook her head. The past three months had done nothing but solidify Bulma's claims. Neka looked at Goku in a new sort of light. She felt a difference in the Bond with him as well. It was like he was waiting for something. Biding his time.

But… for what?

"Neka?" there was a knock on the door, making Neka startle slightly, "Are you awake?" it was Goku's voice, naturally.

Neka let out an irritated hiss. The fact that he had grown on her so much did not change how much he annoyed her at times, "Well if I wasn't I would be now thanks to your loud mouth," she snapped.

The door opened and Goku jumped in, a huge grin on his face, "Sorry I just couldn't wait! We're gonna go somewhere today!"

"We are?" asked Neka blandly.

"Yeah! Come on!" Goku reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her right out of her bed. His strength had increased incredibly since they first met. Neka was taken aback by how easily he made her get to her feet.

"Wah! Wait! Wait!" she tore her hand from his grip and got her footing again before placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him, "And just where are we going? I don't remember telling you we were going anywhere special for training today."

"Well, we're taking a break from training today," said Goku cheerfully.

"Says who?!" demanded Neka, "I don't know if you've forgotten who's in charge of the training around here, defect, but just to refresh your memory-" she smacked him hard across the back of his head, making him yelp and nearly loose his footing, clutching his skull with eyes watering in pain, "It's ME!" Neka finished, crossing her arms and her tail curling in annoyance.

"B-but Neka!" gasped Goku, sitting up straight again, rubbing his head, "Just this one time! It's really important!"

"What could be so important that you have to postpone our training?" snarled Neka, "Need I remind you that every single day we slack off is another day that I have to wait to exact my revenge? Another day that the bastard that tried to kill me can be running around killing other people? Innocent people, even? That's what you care about right? Protecting innocent lives, as pathetic as it is…"

"I understand," said Goku, looking at her in the eyes, and Neka felt that harsh determination hit him through the Bond again, "But we'll just train extra hard another day to make up for it. After all, even great warriors need rest, right? Without rest, we can't even train!"

"Tch," Neka looked away from him, "Fine, whatever, but I'm getting dressed first."

She shoved him out of the room and slammed the door before looking for her clothes. After pulling on some denim shorts and a tank-top with a half jacket over it, she stepped out into the hall to see Goku waiting rather impatiently, bouncing foot to foot. He looked at Neka when she came out and his eyes widened a little.

"What?" snapped Neka, glaring at him.

Goku winced a bit then laughed sheepishly, "N-nothing, it's just that… you… look really nice today. That's all."

Neka frowned at him, "What's up with you, you're acting strange," she said.

"Huh? Me? No!" Goku reached out and grabbed her hand, "Come on!"

"Wh- what? Wait! Where are we going?!" cried Neka as Goku pulled her from their home.

"Trust me!" said Goku with a huge grin.

The flight was short, and Neka was scowling the entire time, arms crossed and tail lashing with pure irritation. What the hell was Goku getting at? And furthermore, why was she off following him? Since when did he call the shots?

Had he really grown on her so much…?

She glanced at him as they flew, the big grin on his face as he sped toward the city. She found that it did her good to see him so happy, to feel his happiness within her. So much had changed. Why was she now welcoming these emotions instead of regarding them with hatred or distain?

"We're here!" said Goku cheerfully, reaching out and grabbing her hand and shooting downward.

Neka let out a yelp of protest as they descended. Finally, they landed, and Neka jumped back from Goku, glaring over at him, "Alright, what's going on? Why are we here?"

"Just look around!" said Goku.

Neka let out a sigh and looked around herself. They were in the forest, a beautiful wooded area, with birds chirping and singing in the distance. The sun shone down in rippling beams all around them, dappling the forest floor in light like fallen golden leaves. But the most breathtaking aspect of this place was the valley before them. It was practically a meadow, with gorgeous flowers of every color and shape and detail that glimmered in the jagged sunlight. Neka slowly stepped down into the small valley, looking around her. The flowers nearly reached her knees. She reached down and ran her fingertips along their delicate soft pedals. She gasped when she nearly tripped on something, and looked down to see some odd object sticking out of the ground. Slowly, she knelt and pulled it free from the earth, trying to be careful not to uproot any of the flowers.

It was a hunk of rusted metal. But when Neka wiped her thumb along it, it revealed white paint beneath. She slowly felt her breath catch.

It was a piece of her ship.

Neka looked back at Goku, her eyes wide, "This is…"

"Yeah," said Goku, hands laced behind his head, a big smile on his face, "This is where we first met, Neka. Where you crashed."

Neka stared around her again, clutching the piece of metal. The crater she had made when she landed had somehow become overgrown with this beautiful plant life. All these flowers and colors and… stains of beauty…

"I wanted to show you it because I think what happened to this crater was perfect," said Goku, stepping down into the flowers and smiling over at her, his hands dropping to his sides, "It's like a mirror to how much you've changed, Neka. At first, when you arrived, on the outside you seemed like just this pit of anger and destruction, but slowly over time, you've let your flowers bloom for everyone to see," he gestured around them, "Although, even these flowers really couldn't compare to how beautiful you really are, could they?" he grinned at her.

Neka felt her heart hammering. She stared at Goku as he reached over and took her hand, but it wasn't in the way he would when he was going to drag her off on some new adventure. It was different. His grip was soft and delicate, leaving Neka free to take her hand away at any time.

Yet, Neka couldn't make herself do so.

"I don't know what to say…" Neka breathed, glaring at the ground, terrified to look Goku in the eyes for what she might see there.

"You don't have to say anything now," said Goku, his grip on her hand squeezing a little, "But I do have a question I want you to think about."

Neka blinked and looked over at him. He was still smiling gently at her.

"On this world, there's a thing that two people can do to show each other how much they really care about one another. It's what someone does when they want to spend the rest of their lives with someone else. They call it marriage," he explained, his cheeks going a little red, "I don't really know all the details, I had to ask Krillin for what little I even know about it. But, from what I understand, if you love someone, you ask them to marry you so that you can stay with them for the rest of your life and start a family with them."

Neka felt her heartbeat slow down and speed up almost at the same time. Her body felt like it was going into overdrive, but she could hear each beat of her heart so clearly in her ears, and they felt like they were almost hours apart. Thud… thud… thud…

Goku shifted a little, and then took both his hands and put them around hers, smiling again, "So, I was wondering, if maybe you would consider marrying me, Neka. Because I decided I want to stay with you for the rest of my life, and I guess… I love you."

Neka took a step back, her hand slipping out of Goku's grip. She was shaking, and didn't know what to do with herself. What had he just said…?

Love…?

He loved her?

Somehow, Neka always knew it. From the feelings she got from him in the Bond, from how he always treated her, from his affection and the way he smiled at the sight of her, from everything about him…

But to hear him say it…

To hear him ask this question…

What was she supposed to do? Neka couldn't comprehend what was happening. She hadn't even come to terms with how she truly felt about him, yet here he was proposing this to her…

_"But if there's only like what, five Saiyans left, and one of them is your brother, what choice would you have anyway?"_

Bulma's words rang in her head as if she were standing right beside her.

Neka could barely breathe. What was happening? This tidal wave of emotions, this… these feelings… her heart acting the way it was…

"Neka…" Goku gasped suddenly, eyes widening, "Your face- that mark is appearing on your face, the same one that-" he reached up his hand and then blinked in surprise at the strange intricate tattoo that had appeared on his palm and laced halfway up his arm.

Neka saw the mark, and felt it burning on her own cheek and temple, but her emotions were too wild to let her care. She took another shaky step back from Goku.

_"That speech you just gave… tell me was that really to convince me that you weren't getting feelings for Goku? Or was it to convince yourself?"_ Bulma's voice echoed.

"Why does that stupid human bitch always have to be right?" breathed Neka, slowly hanging her head, and the burning in her face stopped. She saw the mark fade from Goku's arm. He blinked and took a tentative step toward her.

"I'm sorry, Neka, I didn't mean to upset you, you don't have to answer me now," he said nervously, "I just want you to think about it…"

"No, I'm done thinking," said Neka, looking up into his eyes, "I've been thinking about this for almost four years now, where I stand with you and everyone else on this pathetic rock…"

Goku seemed uneasy by her words, and stared at her with slight apprehension, as if scared she was going to suddenly decide to blow up the entire planet like she had wanted to when she first arrived.

"I'm finished lying to myself," said Neka, glaring at the ground, "Apparently all that does is make things even more chaotic. The way I see things, I either have to accept these feelings to become numb like how I used to be, because the in-between is way to frustrating for my tastes… and at this point… I don't think going back is an option…"

_"Our Elder spoke of a woman with a tail that would come. Said that she and the Warrior would be the ones to avenge our people."_

Neka had believed those words were the ravings of a lunatic when she first heard them. She never believed she would be looking back on them now and shaking her head in pure irritation. She guessed she should have seen it from the start.

"Alright, Goku, listen up," she snapped, getting her composure back and her eyes flicking up to meet his, "If I say yes to this 'marriage' thing, one thing has to be clear. There will be no change in how I treat you, got it? You will continue to train just as hard. And there will be no room for soft moments in battle. And we will do things the Saiyan way. Following the traditions our people set for us, not whatever the hell this rock has come up with in substitute. Understood?"

Goku stared at her for a moment, and Neka felt that fluffy sense of hope and excitement start to flare up inside him.

"So does that mean you say 'yes'?" he asked breathlessly.

"Tch…" Neka crossed her arms and looked away, "Yeah, whatever, I suppose."

"EEEEE!"

Neka yelped in shock as arms latched around her and lifted her off the ground. For a moment, her and Goku were just spiraling up into the air in a near one-sided embrace. Then, more slowly, they descended, Goku just hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Neka!" he said happily.

"Don't think this changes anything…" Neka muttered.

But she knew she was talking out her ass. Of course this changed everything. She had just admitted to Goku, and most importantly to herself, that she cared for him.

More than that… something that she still couldn't quite bring to say aloud yet.

She loved him.

Neka sighed heavily as they landed and Goku ran around in his excitement. She should have known from the beginning that he was the Warrior in the prophecy.

That he was her warrior.

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:::**_

_**FINALLY, right? Ha. It took me about four or five different rewrite until I was satisfied with this chapter and keeping both Neka and Goku in character. Neka especially was difficult. I think I had like ten different versions of the talk with Bulma scene with her until I finally knew I nailed it. It's been a bit difficult since so much time has passed in their world technically, but we haven't been there with them for the whole thing. So now at the four year mark, she finally realizes that she actually loves Goku, which I think was enough time for her to get over herself and accept this for herself. Keep in mind, she has been struggling with her emotions about him since a year after the tournament, so I figured she would have finally broken down and just said, alright, yeah fine, whatever, in her own Neka-ish way. Goku of course, has been crazy about her basically since she landed, but it's just been escalating since then. Again, it was a tricky thing to do. But I wanted her to meet him before Raditz so that by the time Vegeta came along she would have already been attached to Goku and therefore cause some pretty interesting strife with her twin. I hope I nailed it in your eyes as well, my readers. But we're finally nearly to the beginning of the actual Dragon Ball Z series. Are you excited? I am! **_

_**Thanks as always for reading. And I'm sure Neka appreciates it as well, and maybe might not blow off your head if you tell her congratulations on her engagement! Ha ha.**_

_**-Red**_


	16. Kisses and Dresses

"Neka! Neka, wake up!"

Neka groaned and rolled over in her bed. It had been a month since she agreed to marry Goku, but she still refused to sleep in the same room with him yet. Part of her was worried about becoming that close to him. She had come to terms with herself that she loved him, but she wasn't ready by any means to be showing that fact off. She sat up and saw Goku beaming at her from her doorway.

"What do you want?" Neka snapped at him, "I'm trying to sleep!"

"I want to go on a date."

"What?" Neka blinked.

"A date!" said Goku, "Krillin and Bulma both said that they're important for engaged people to do!"

Neka groaned. Telling Bulma she had agreed to marry Goku had been a little painful with how excited the girl got. She had hugged Neka and cheered and then when they were alone demanded to know details and how Neka really felt about Goku. Neka hadn't admitted that she loved him. But she did say that she had grown fond over him, and would not mind starting a family with him one day. After all, it was her duty to bear more pure blooded Saiyans. It was the reason Frieza tried to kill her. That had brought a smile to Neka's face. The very thing Frieza was trying to prevent by killing her had actually ended up happening because of the tyrants actions. Because, Neka had to face facts, even if it were for the betterment of her race, she didn't think she could become mates with Nappa or Raditz.

"Alright, what's this… this date nonsense, then," sighed Neka.

"Well, I'm not sure, we just go out and do stuff together," said Goku, "So I figured we'd go for a walk in the forest and then maybe go to the city to get food since you always cook. You could take a break and eat other people's cooking!"

"I doubt anyone is as good as I am at it," growled Neka, "It will probably taste like garbage."

"Come on, Neka! Please!" Goku smiled at her.

Neka sighed, "Alright, fine, let's go."

"Great!" Goku ran out the door, "Hurry up and get dressed!"

Neka adorned a tank top and some shorts, then pulled a jacket over her shoulders before slipping on some sandals and walking after Goku. He too was in normal clothes, wearing white T-shirt and some sweatpants. He did however keep on his weighted boots. He was waiting at the door for her.

"Ready? Oh, you look great, Neka."

Neka rubbed the back of her neck, "Thanks, I guess. You look alright yourself."

She had to admit, he did look nice today, his handsome face lit by the sun just right at the moment.

"Come on!" Goku jumped into the air and began to fly off.

Neka quickly flew after him. They didn't have to go far before they landed at the edge of the forest. They began to walk down one of the paths. The flowers were in bloom, and there were cherry blossoms all over above them. The branches of pink petals were beautiful. Neka stared up at them with wonder.

"You know," said Goku cheerfully, "Nature was one of the first things I compared you to, back when we first met."

"What?" Neka blinked, looking at him.

"Yeah," said Goku, smiling over at her, "I thought to myself, I've never met a girl that makes me feel the way she does. I realized that when I looked at your face, I got the same feeling in my gut like when I looked at sights like this," he gestured to the cherry blossoms, "Like my breath was taken away with how beautiful it was."

Neka felt her cheeks warm and she looked away, "Beauty isn't something to look for in a mate when you're a Saiyan. You have to look for strength."

"And you see strength in me? Is that why you agreed to marry me?" Goku asked.

"It's not that simple," said Neka, "But I do see strength in you, for what it's worth. You surprise me with how fast you improve."

They fell into silence for a moment, continuing to walk down the path. Suddenly, Goku reached out and took her hand. Neka blinked and looked down at it in surprise, but did not withdraw.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Bulma told me it's what couples do," said Goku.

"For what purpose? We're not keeping one another from falling or trying to make the other hurry," said Neka with a frown.

"It's supposed to just be nice," said Goku, grinning at her, "To show that we're together."

"But there's no one around here," said Neka.

"But isn't it nice just to hold hands?" asked Goku, "I wasn't sure about it myself when Bulma told me, but now that I'm doing it, I think I get it! It's nice just to know you're there and to feel you."

Neka shook her head, "This world is so strange," she muttered.

But still, she didn't retract her hand. She held his thoughtfully, her mind abuzz. She had held Goku's hand before, but it had been in the cities so that she wouldn't get separated from him and end up potentially killing someone. It had annoyed her to no end then, with him treating her like a child. But after hearing his explanation about it here and now… just holding hands to… hold hands… it wasn't exactly bad.

It was… interesting.

"This way," Goku smiled at her and pulled her off on a less traveled path.

"Where are we going?" Neka asked irritably.

"Just trust me!" said Goku cheerfully.

They had to practically go single file through the tight path, the trees hugging in on them tightly. Goku kept smiling back at her. The excitement in his eyes and the feeling of it through the Bond was slightly endearing. Neka caught herself smiling back at him very lightly once. Finally, they burst out of the trees, and Neka stumbled to a stop, staring.

The scene that stretched out before them was astounding. There was a massive valley down below, with a lake at the bottom, and a single river snaking away from it. From one of the surrounding cliffs, a waterfall fell gently into the lake, like a veil. There was lush green fields surrounding the lake, and a few cherry blossoms scattered below, like great clouds of pink.

"Wow…" Neka breathed.

"I'm glad you like it," said Goku, grinning at her.

Neka glanced at him and found her composure again, "Well, it's interesting. A far cry from the wasteland of planets I used to visit," she looked away from him, trying to pretend she wasn't as impressed as she truly was.

Of course with the Bond, it was a little hard to hide anything from him.

"Neka, I…" Goku shuffled, and Neka felt a prick of nervousness come from him. That was unusual. Goku was normally confident in everything he did.

"What?" Neka snapped, glancing at him, "What has you so worried all of the sudden?"

Goku laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, I was just wondering if you…" he trailed off and shifted again, his grip on her hand tightening.

"What?" Neka demanded, getting impatient.

"Well, Krillin told me to just go for it, but I feel like it would be rude not to ask you first…" Goku said softly.

"Ask me what?" Neka asked, perking a brow.

Goku glanced around, looking everywhere but her face, "Uh, well…" his cheeks flushed a tinge of red, "Asked you for… for a kiss."

Neka blinked.

What? A kiss? She stared at Goku for a moment, at a complete loss of what to do. She had never done anything like that before. She remembered seeing Saiyan mates back before her world was destroyed do it. It was fierce thing, almost like they were attacking each other, their lips meeting hungrily. But when she saw the same thing here on this world, it was softer. Gentle. So if she did kiss Goku, which kiss would he want? Would his Saiyan blood appreciate the ferocity that Neka saw as a child? Or would he prefer a more calm carress?

Wait, why was Neka even thinking about this? Yes, she… she loved him… but that did NOT mean she should fall into the soft emotions of this world. A kiss would just escalate things into where she never wanted to go in the first place. But… hadn't she already agreed to be his mate…?

"Fuck it…" Neka growled and grabbed Goku by the front of his shirt and pulled him to her, kissing him fiercely for a brief moment, so quick that Goku didn't even get the chance to wrap his arms around her or close his eyes. She pushed him away when she was done and wiped her lips, crossing her arms and glaring away from him.

"There," she snapped, "Now let's get the rest of this stupid date done and over with. We should be training, not playing."

Goku was in shock, but slowly, she felt a warmth spread over him through the Bond. He smiled really big at Neka, "Okay!" he said cheerfully, "Let's go!"

*.*.*

"What are we doing here?" Neka asked irritably.

A week had passed, and Bulma had come by the house and demanded that Neka come with her, and alone. Neka finally allowed Bulma to stuff her into her flyer and now they were at the city in a store that sold nothing but very strange white garments.

"We're getting you a wedding dress!" said Bulma, placing her hands on her hips, "As your maid of honor, it's my duty to help you choose."

"Wait… I have to wear one of these poofy things for that wedding crap?" Neka asked dryly, looking around.

"Yes! It's tradition that the bride wears a white dress for the wedding!" said Bulma, as if it were common knowledge.

Neka sighed irritably, "I was just going to wear my armor. It's Saiyan tradition to wear one's best armor for becoming official mates."

"Well tough luck, sister, we're putting you in one of these," said Bulma in that 'you're not getting out of this' voice. Neka knew it very well by now.

Neka took another deep sigh and shook her head, "Fine, whatever… just pick one."

"You have to try them on!" said Bulma, "I have to see how they look on you."

"You've got to be kidding me… alright, fine, how many do I have to try on?" Neka growled.

Bulma gestured to a rack of about twenty gowns. Neka gaped.

"I came here earlier and set some aside, but now that you're here there's even more that might look good on you! Hang on," Bulma pranced off, grabbing more dresses as she went.

Neka ran a hand down her face. If she and Bulma hadn't already been through so much she would never let her get away with this. But she figured she would let her friend have her fun. At least that would save Neka from all the complaining later.

It took nearly four hours until Bulma finally decided on a dress. It was sleeveless, and shorter upfront, revealing her knees, and then lengthening in the back for a long train. There was a single bow over the chest, and a veil that hung down over Neka's face.

"What's this for?" Neka asked irritably when Bulma put it on her, "It's obscuring my vision."

"When it's time for you two to kiss, Goku will pull it up and over your face. It's another tradition."

"That seems stupid, why not just leave it- wait. We have to kiss? In front of everyone?" Neka demanded.

"Of course! That's what you do to seal the marriage," said Bulma.

Neka grumbled under her breath for a moment, "Son of a… fine whatever…" she looked up, "I suppose I should have expected much after the whole holding hands thing…"

"You held Goku's hand? Without being forced to?" Bulma blinked in surprise.

"He said it would be nice, or some crap like that…"Neka muttered, "And since we already kissed once, another can't hurt…"

"You've kissed him?!" wailed Bulma.

Neka glared at her, "We're to become mates. Isn't it expected that I kissed him?"

"Well, yeah, but… you're not exactly normal Neka…" Bulma laughed.

"Tch," Neka looked away, "Can I get out of this thing now?"

After she changed back into her normal clothes and Bulma purchased the dress, they left the store and got back into the flyer. Bulma kept casting her glances.

"What? If you want to say something, spit it out," Neka snapped.

Bulma didn't seem fazed by her tone, she never did anymore, "Well, I was just wondering… are you planning on having kids?"

"Kids? You mean children?" asked Neka, "Well… yes, as the last female Saiyan, it's my duty to bear more Saiyan children."

"Well… maybe we should make one last stop…" Bulma smirked.

*.*.*

Bulma said that on a girl's wedding day, they're supposed to be a nervous wreck. That they're supposed to be so excited, and that there's a lot of crying involved. But all Neka felt as Bulma fussed over her with the dress was irritation.

"I already told you, you're not going to get my hair to lay flat!" she cried.

"But… it would just look so nice in a pony tail or a bun or something…" sighed Bulma.

She was in a regal purple dress that was cut in the same fashion as Neka's, shorter in the front then lengthening in the back, but hers didn't trail across the floor like Neka's did.

"Just leave it alone!" Neka batted her away gently, so as not to actually harm her.

"Alright fine…" sighed Bulma, "I still have to get the veil on."

"Just get it over with, then," growled Neka.

"You know, most girls are happy on their wedding day."

"I'm not most girls."

"Good point… there," Bulma stepped back and Neka glared at her through the thin white cloth.

"Can we get this over with now?" she asked heatedly.

Bulma smiled at her and then gave her a hug, "Ah, Neka, I'm so happy for you!"

Neka stood there and let her friend hug her for a moment. She thought about how much had changed in four years. It was astounding how different she was. Even to allow this physical contact was something she would have never done when she first landed. She smiled. Her Saiyan training told her all of this was wrong, and soft, and weak. But another part of her that had grown since she got here told her that she was stronger than ever.

"Alright," Bulma pulled back and beamed at her, "I'm going to go get into place!"

Neka nodded, "So I don't come out until the music, right?"

"Right. Good luck, Neka," Bulma gave her one more quick hug and then left the room.

Which was actually just Neka and Goku's kitchen.

The wedding was taking place outside up on the hill where the grass was greenest. Neka waited at the door, peering out. There was a small crowd, including Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Tien, Chiaotzu, some of Bulma's friends that Neka didn't know, and Bulma's parents. Launch was in her blue hair and standing on Bulma's other side up front, in a matching purple dress. Krillin and Yamcha were both in tuxes and on the opposite side of the girls, and then, on Krillin's right was Goku.

His tux was white, like her dress, and he was smiling broadly. He was under a flowered archway they had placed for the occasion. Suddenly, piano music swelled into the air, and Neka knew it was time for her to walk down the aisle between the crowd. She walked out, holding a bouquet of flowers, briskly making her way toward Goku. His eyes lit up when he saw her. He hadn't been allowed to see the dress until now. Neka felt her heart stutter at the look of awe on his face.

Then she saw Bulma waving frantically for her to slow down. Neka gasped a little and slowed her pace to a near snail's crawl. Bulma gestured for her to speed up. Neka took slightly quicker steps, and Bulma gave her a thumbs up and a wink. Neka sighed. So many rules to this stupid event.

Once up front, she handed Bulma her flowers and turned to look at Goku. He was smiling ear to ear, and she could feel his giddy excitement plain in the back of her mind. She offered him a light smile in return. The man marrying them began speaking a bunch of words that Neka didn't understand or even care to. She only had eyes for Goku. The source of how much she had changed. A small part of her still resented him for it. But a much larger part of her was too fond over him to care.

"The couple has written their own vows. Please speak them now," said the man.

"Neka," Goku said, looking her over with shining eyes, "I never felt the way I feel about you with any other girl. You made me strive to become stronger, and in the process… I fell in love with you. So I wanted to do everything I could to make you happy, ever since I met you because you deserve to be happy, Neka. And I hope you're happy with me. I promise to always be there for you. And to continue to get stronger with you. And to help you always keep your happiness."

Neka smiled at him and Goku's mood jumped even higher at the sight. Then Neka had to shuffle her feet for a moment and then pulled a piece of paper from between her breasts. This caused a lot of gasps from the people Neka didn't know in the audience, and chuckles from the ones she did know.

"Goku," she began to read in a monotone, "When we first met, all I wanted to do was kill you. To find a way to get away from you- and I- ah screw it," she tossed the paper aside and looked at Goku intently, "Goku… you showed me how to feel. Even though I hated you at first, you never stopped believing in me, that I could change. And while you're still a defect," more laughter from the crowd, "You're my defect. You're my warrior."

Goku smiled at her.

"You may now, kiss the bride," announced the man.

Oh boy, this was the part Neka was nervous about. While she had come to terms with her softer emotions, she still wasn't exactly keen on showing them off. But as Goku gently folded back her veil, and she saw his handsome face so close to hers, she couldn't help it.

She fell into him, and he wrapped his strong arms around her, and their lips met. This was their second kiss, technically, and it was much more gentle than the first one. A Goku kiss, Neka decided. His lips moved slowly with hers, and she was barely aware of the cheering around them. This fondness, this caressing… it was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Finally, they pulled apart, and Neka could not keep from smiling at Goku at the look of sheer thrill on in his eyes.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Goku Son and Neka Son," said the man grandly.

Neka and Goku turned to face the cheering crowd and walked through them. Goku gripped Neka's hand tightly, and she could feel the happiness radiating off of him. She smiled again. This must have been the most she had smiled in one day since she arrived here.

_I love you, Goku_, she thought, but still could not bring herself to say it out loud.

Maybe one day. But for today, this was enough.

*.*.*

Night had fallen. The crowd from the wedding had parted. Neka was in their bathroom, fidgeting with the garments Bulma had gotten her after the wedding dress. She was to understand that the wedding night meant to get started on having a child. Neka was beyond a nervous wreck about this one.

"Why do I have to wear THAT?!" Neka had cried when Bulma showed her the incredibly revealing lacy gown and panties that did not even cover the entire backside.

"It's sexy!" Bulma had insisted, "Just trust me!"

Neka growled inwardly as she looked at herself in the mirror. She wondered if Goku would like it. If he thought she was, what word did Bulma use? Sexy.

"Neka, are you okay?" came Goku's voice from the door.

He must know, too, thought Neka, that we will no longer be sleeping in separate beds…

Neka felt like she was going to vomit she was so nervous.

"Just get in the bed," she snapped at the door.

"What? Why?" Goku asked.

Neka twitched, "Just do it!"

"Alright, alright!" Goku's footsteps retreated.

Neka took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. It was dark in the house, but she had left a soft glowing light in Goku's room. Bulma told her she couldn't have too much light, but just enough for him to see her. She squirmed a little, uncomfortable in the garments, and then went to Goku's doorway. She stood there for a moment, her face bright red and her hands behind her back. Goku was laying in the bed in his boxers and blinked in astonishment at the sight of Neka.

"Whoa."

Neka felt her face grow even warmer and she looked at the ground, "Do… you like it?" she muttered.

"I- yeah. I mean…" Goku sat up, "Why are you wearing weird clothes like that though? Neka, you're practically naked! I thought you didn't want me to see you naked."

Yeah, that conversation had been fun three years ago when Goku suggested she strip down and go swimming with him. Neka had already seen Goku in all his glory once before because of that.

"That's the point!" snapped Neka, "Ugh, I told Bulma this was a stupid idea."

She turned to leave, getting the feeling Goku didn't understand what she was trying to do after all.

"Wait, Neka, where are you going?" Goku asked.

Neka looked back, "You're obviously not interested."

"I- oh. OH!" Goku's eyes got wide, "That's right, Krillin told me about this! I mean, Neka… come back."

Neka stepped back into the room, but didn't go to the bed yet. She crossed her arms and glared at the ground.

"I'm sorry, Neka, I think I understand now," said Goku, "You look beautiful."

Neka shifted uncomfortably and looked up at him, "Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do," said Goku, getting to his feet and going to her, "I'm just," he laughed nervously, "I've never done this before."

"Neither have I," Neka admitted in a murmur.

Goku gently pulled her back to the bed. Neka felt her nerves spasm again. She tried to keep calm. She paused before they fell onto the bed.

"What's wrong?" Goku asked.

"Do you want this?" Neka asked softly.

Goku took her head in his hands and made her look at him, "Neka. I love you. Of course I want this."

Neka took in a shaky breath and then nodded. She steeled herself, and then pushed him onto the bed roughly. He yelped in shock, but didn't have much time to complain before Neka practically leapt on him. In her mind, he said yes, which meant she could finally let go of all the restraints she had been feeling since she was in the bathroom.

As the night went on, and Neka and Goku melded together, Neka had no lingering doubts in her mind. This was who she was now. Neka Son. Married to Goku Son. And she never wanted to leave his side.


End file.
